Worth More than That
by speechless93
Summary: If there's one thing Jo doesn't like, it's seeing Meg cry. So, when there's a problem, she takes care of it in the typical way. MegxJo
1. Jo vs the TV

Jo was heading towards the roof to watch some horror movies. It had been a long and tiring mission Sei had sent her on, and she couldn't picture a better way to relax than by watching moronic fools get their brains eaten by some monster Jo knew she could take care of easily. So, she stopped, surprised, when she found that her rooftop hideaway was already being hidden in.

"Meg?" Her voice carried lowly over the roof to the sea of red hair she could see. The mass turned, and soon Jo found herself staring into the blue eyes that belonged to the girl. "What are you doing? Are you watching a horror movie?" Jo narrowed her eyes in confusion. She knew that Meg hated horror movies. Actually, now that she thought about it, for all the hatred and fear the younger girl had towards them, she had always managed to find a way to sit through them, usually hiding her face in Jo's arm.

"Oh. Jo." She gave a quick smile and turned her head away. Jo, still puzzled by the unusual behavior, walked over to Meg.

"What's…" her voice trailed off as she saw the glimmer of tears in Meg's face. She was crying. Jo processed the thought through her mind. Meg was crying, which meant she was sad. Why was she sad, though? It was either she was sad to see Jo, which didn't seem logical at all, or someone had hurt her and left her on the roof. Option number two decided, Jo very quickly drew out one of her Desert Eagles.

"Jo! Ahh!" Meg screamed ducking down. "What is it?!"

Jo looked down at Meg. "I don't know. You tell me."

"What are you talking about? There's nothing up here except for us…" Once Meg had deduced that there really wasn't a threat, she moved herself to a sitting position and looked up at Jo. Jo, confused as hell, but glad to see she was getting a response and maybe an explanation, squatted down to Meg's level.

"Then why are you crying?" Jo asked her. Meg looked at her, dumbstruck.

"Why am I…crying?" She repeated. Jo, not really sure what to do, rephrased the question.

"Are you sad to see me then?" She asked.

"What?! Jo, could I be sad to see you?" Meg asked, jumping up. Jo sprung back up as well and watched Meg flail her arms about as she talked. She stayed on her guard though, because she didn't want Meg, who she knew was just a little bit klutzy, could easily lose her balance and fall off the roof. And, that, Jo knew, would be a very, very, bad thing.

"Well…"Jo spoke, voicing her thoughts to Meg. "You were crying. And you cry when you're sad. Or when something gets one of us or I'm not in your sight." She paused, thinking. "so, then, either something was attacking, or you were sad to see me. And since nothing was attacking, it must have been me. But now, you said it wasn't me."

"Jo, I do not cry that much." Meg said, but as she looked into Jo's crimson eyes, she knew she was lying and sighed. "Ok, so maybe I cry sometimes. But trust me; I'm not sad to see you. I'm very happy to see you." She smiled, stepping closer to Jo. "Cause now I know you got home safe."

"Of course I'm safe. " Jo said, puzzled. "Why wouldn't I be? I have to protect you." Meg smiled at Jo's words and hugged the now bewildered girl. Two seconds ago, the redhead currently latched onto her body was crying, the reason why she still didn't know, but, she was not going to let go unexcused, and now, here she was, hugging her and smiling.

"Thank you Jo." Meg told her.

"Meg, I still want to know why you were crying." Jo said, and Meg broke the hug and stepped away, putting her head down as if shamed.

"Jo, I'm sorry, but…I borrowed your T.V. Amy shut down the circuitry in the house and well, I wanted to watch a movie, so I came to use your T.V. Is that okay?"

"You're crying because you borrowed my T.V.?"

"No, I was watching a sad movie. That's what made me cry." Jo looked between Meg and the T.V. set. So, it was her T.V. that made Meg cry. She wondered how Meg had even found a sad movie on there or a videotape of one. As far as Jo knew, she was the only one who had any tapes, and her collection was not one full of sad things. Unless sad was watching someone die a horrible painful death. And she didn't get cable or anything on there, nothing except for the basic channels.

"Was it one of my movies?"

"Eww! No! Gross, no way! Those horror movies are disgusting." Meg cried out, wrinkling her nose at the displeasure. Jo came to the conclusion that it was the T.V. It must have been malfunctioning, since it showed something sad. After all, it made Meg cry. And Jo did not like to see Meg cry.

Stepping around Meg, she walked over to the television paused mid-screen on the roof. Meg watched Jo, unsure of her actions, but jumped viciously as Jo pulled out the Desert Eagles and shot the T.V. not once, not twice, but multiple times directly through the screen.

"Jo! What are you?..." She watched helplessly as the box fizzed and sparked before going blank, dark black smoke rising out of it. Jo turned away and came back towards Meg.

"It made you cry." She said simply. Meg gave a small cry and hugged Jo again.

"Oh, Jo, you…that's your T.V." Meg said pointing. Jo turned and looked at it noncommittally.

"You're worth more than a T.V. though…" Jo said, confused. What part of it didn't Meg get, Jo wondered. It was easy enough for her to see. She could always just ask Amy to fix the T.V. and get rid of the things on it that made Meg cry. But, Jo knew, you could not ship Meg off somewhere to fix her.

Meg stepped back and looked at Jo after she heard what she said. "Do you really mean that?" her voice was quiet.

Jo answered without hesitation. "Yes." Then she paused for a moment. "You don't believe me?"

"No, I do, I do. It's just…you're usually not one to say those things."

"Well, it's because Amy can't fix you." Jo told Meg, who then became thoroughly confused. "So…I have to fix the problems that Amy can't."

"You fix me then?" Meg asked, her voice amused. Jo failed to see the humor and the teasing in Meg.

"I take care of you. I don't know about fixing, but I make sure you're okay, right?"

"Yeah, Jo." Meg said smiling, "You make sure I'm okay." She wiped her face and sniffled.

"Wait...Are you crying?" Jo asked, bewildered, though of course she didn't show it.

"Yeah, but I'm not sad." She gave a little chuckle. "Don't go around shooting anymore things. I'm fine."

"Why are you crying if you're not sad?" Jo asked, concerned. "Are you hurt?"

"No, Jo, really, I'm fine." Meg smiled and stared into Jo's smoldering red eyes. "C'mon, I bet Kyohei's cooked us up something for dinner." She started to walk away, pulling Jo after her. She stopped though, turning to finally observe the girl, who was in a sorry sight after getting home from the mission Sei had sent her on.

Jo's clothes were a little bloody if they were anything, and she had forsaken a shower in light of investigating the noises she heard from the roof, which she now knew were the busted T.V. and Meg. Her face was gaunt, and tired, and frankly, to Meg, she looked terrible.

"Jo, you look exhausted." She said, concerned. Jo just blinked at her and shrugged, starting to walk past her to go back downstairs. Meg's words of Kyohei's cooking made her hungry and a good meal sounded good to her. "Was it hard?"

"No." Jo said as she stopped by the stairs. She noticed Meg was still standing there. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah." Meg said, smiling. Jo watched Meg climb down the hatch and followed after her.

**So this is where it ends. I actually have written more to this, so if you want to see Meg and Jo get a little closer, then leave a review or message and who knows?? Maybe Jo will finally realize how many more things she'll destroy for Meg**

**thanks for reading and any feedback is welcome :)**


	2. Internet Sensation

**Since people have asked for more, I give you more! Welcome to Chapter 2 of Worth More than That. This is actually my first fanfiction posted here, so thank you all so much for the kind reviews I've gotten so far. Thanks for reading :)**

The dinner was already being served as Meg and Jo came to the table. Amy and Sei were bickering over something Jo could really care less about. Meg nearly exploded with excitement as she looked at the meal set up in front of her.

"Nice of you two to join us." Sei's mature voice came. Jo looked up at her across the table mildly glaring. Amy giggled.

"Shut up brat!" Meg yelled.

"Hey, I didn't say anything, Sei did…" Amy held her hands up like in defense. "Are you gonna tell her to shut up?"

"Amy, that's enough." Sei said, and Amy spun her head around and stuck her tongue out.

"Not fair! What if they were up there making out or something?!"

"What?!" The outburst came from Meg, whose face had turned as red as her hair. "You…you…" She shook with intensity.

"Amy..." Sei murmured, shaking her head.

Jo, who was an integral part of the conversation, simply seemed to grow even colder as she stared across the table at Amy. Her face hadn't changed from its nonplussed expression, but her crimson eyes burned into Amy like the fires of hell. She slowly put her fork down and returned it to the plate where food still lay. Then, never breaking eye contact with Amy, who had straightened up and sat in her chair unmoving, she got up from the table. Breaking the contact, she turned and walked to her room, the door behind it shutting with a slam.

"Amy…" Meg spoke quietly, her voice sounding hurt. She looked at her, pain in her blue eyes.

"Meg, I have to ask that you not cry." Sei said calmly. Meg looked at her, confused. "If you do, I'm afraid that Jo might end up shooting Amy. And that's not something I can allow."

"Ok. Fine." She sighed in defeat. She got up quietly and left from the table, but instead of heading to the room Jo was currently hiding, or sulking, or plotting in, she turned towards the door in a very uncharacteristically like way.

"Where are you going?" Sei asked, her voice carrying through the halls.

"Out." Meg replied, before shutting the door. Sei glared at Amy, who felt a little bad, and a little guilty, but nonetheless looked at her innocently.

"Sorry." She pouted. "But seriously- those two! You know it's gonna happen sooner or later."

"Let things happen on their own." Sei told her wisely. "Meg knows what she's getting into. As for Jo…well, whatever it was that she did must pretty much have been an open declaration of love right there.

"I just wanna see some action!" Amy grubbed, laughing. "Those two would make me so popular on the internet!"

"Amy." Sei said, giving her a look.

"Fine. I'll let them be. But when it happens, I make no guarantees." She cackled, then got up and left, presumably to blog about it or hack into some site for the joy she was feeling. Sei put her hand to her forehead, shaking her mildly amused face.

"Can you show me what happened?" Sei said after a minute

"Yeah." Amy said. "You actually want to see it?"

"I'm interested in this. If something were to happen, it would change the dynamics."

"What are you talking about? With the way Jo already acts it's like they're together. She does everything for Meg." Amy grumbled, pulling up the screen. "Never does anything for me, no, just glares all day and tells me to fix her stupid television, or tells me to send Jango out, and do I ever get a thanks, no, just another glare." She mumbled viciously.

"Did you say something?" Sei asked in a tone of voice that meant she knew exactly what is was that Amy had said.

"No." She said, annoyed. "Anyway, I have the feed if you want to watch it."

A grainy image showed up on the screen, showing the two figures. Amy and Sei watched as the previous scenario laid itself out in front of them. Amy laughed as Jo shot the T.V. and Sei simply turned to her with an amuse expression on her face.

"I wouldn't laugh so much if I were you. You know Jo's going to ask you to fix it." Amy stopped laughing after that. Sei, with a chuckle moved her attention back to the video feed.

The thing that surprised her the most was the fact that Jo let Meg hug her multiple times. As far as Sei was concerned, Jo detested any and all sort of physical affection. She had never been one for any sort of high five or handshake, and the fact that Meg could simply walk up and literally throw herself on Jo without any sort of repercussion or pushing away was a sight that in a strange way she felt a little bit ashamed at seeing. After all, Jo worked hard for her. And now viewing this was like looking straight into the girls mind.

"Amy, turn it off." She said, looking away. "I've seen enough." Amy's eyes looked confusedly at Sei, but she respectfully turned it off. Shutting the laptop down, and getting up to leave, Amy paused before her room, turning to look back at Sei

"Does it scare you to see that? Is that why you asked me to turn it off?"

"No. There's nothing to be afraid of. I suppose it's a little humbling, that's all."

"Humbling?" Amy asked incredulously. "Your mind works weird sometimes Sei." Amy laughed a little. Sei gave her a small smile.

"And Amy? I mean it. No putting it on the internet." The small girl laughed at her words, but nodded seriously agreeing that she wouldn't before disappearing into her room with the laptop she so clearly adored. "They really did have it coming." Sei murmured, before heading into the kitchen to see if poor Kyohei was okay, since he had left during the tense matchup at the beginning of the dinner, and upon seeing Jo's bloodstained outfit. Although, Sei mused, there really was no safe place to hide in the kitchen, but…that boy could fit his scrawny little body in somewhere.

Meg walked around the city, thinking only about what Amy had said. Her and Jo, together? The thought seemed like it could make sense. But did she love Jo like that? Did she want to put her heart, her body, her soul into something she didn't know would work or not? She and Jo had been together for she couldn't remember how long. The girl took care of her, made her feel safe. Watched over her like a protective guardian. But why? The thought stayed in her mind like the fiery stare of Jo's haunting red eyes

Jo sat staring blankly at the wall in her room. Sei walked in, knocking once. She looked at the red-eyed wonder in front of her and thought, a bit ashamedly, that it was her fault Jo ended up like this. Probably confused and conflicted. Probably too gung-ho to fight that she didn't even register the feelings Sei thought she was having. It was time to make up for that though.

"Jo. What exactly did happen?" Sei asked quietly. She was not one to tell Jo that she had been spying on her; rather, she figured she would see what exactly it was that Jo would tell her, if she would say anything at all. She feared that the second option would end up being the case as Jo remained facing towards the wall.

"Meg was crying. So I took care of it." Jo's voice was quiet, muted.

"You shot something." Sei clarified.

Jo turned to her, red eyes staring blankly. "The T.V." She sat up, sighing. "Something obviously was wrong with it."

"Jo, you can't just go around shooting things."

"Why are you in here?" Jo asked suddenly. The thought has crossed her mind ever since Sei entered. She couldn't even remember a time before when the girl had come into the small, yet comfortable room, at least, when Jo was in there on the premise to talk to her.

"What?"

"My room. You never come in here." Jo's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you want?"

"Honestly? I want to make sure you're ok." Sei spoke hesitantly. Jo's eyes widened for the tiniest amount of time before they settled back to their usual look. She laid back down, turning back to the wall

"I'm fine. Meg already asked me about the mission, it was fine."

"No Jo, not the mission." Sei sighed. "You. You seemed upset at dinner."

"That's cause that brat never shuts up." Jo murmured.

"Jo." Sei's voice sounded pleading and Jo turned her head to look at her. "I know most of the time we only have a business-like relationship but…we live together in the same house, and believe it or not you are like my family, and I do care about your safety and well-being."

Jo did not completely grasp the message Sei was trying to get across. A family was not something she had ever had. But the idea of a family did not come across as something new to her. She had seen it. A man had a wife, and they had kids. Or sometimes a family was a group of people living together, if what Sei had said was right.

"Meg says you're our family." Jo told Sei. Sei smiled at the words, then got up from her seat on the bed.

"I'll let you be Jo, I'm sure you're tired." Sei was happy with the fact that her and Jo might have had an actual conversation that didn't result in Jo going to destroy something.

"Sei." Jo's voice came through. "Where's Meg?"

"She went out." Sei said. There was a beat before Jo sprang up and Sei looked at her fearfully.

"Tonight's the….!" Jo said, her voice showing the slightest hint of panic.

"Jo, I forgot. Can you go-" But Sei's voice died off as she saw Jo spring into action, getting dressed and strapping on her guns.

"Which way did she head?"

"I don't know. I'll go ask Amy to try and call her."

"Sei, of all the nights to let her go wander around, you had to…" Jo muttered as she followed the older girl out the door.

"Jo, believe me, I completely forgot that tonight was that night for the mission. We planned it weeks ago, and with all of the things going on lately, it just slipped my mind."

Jo opened the door to go outside. "Call me if you find her so I know where she is."

Sei nodded. "I will."

"And Sei? If she gets hurt, it's your price to pay. Understand?" Sei looked at the flaming red eyes in front of her, the pupils dilated and small as Jo's ferociousness took over.

"Completely…."She paused. "I hope you find her alright."

"You better hope I do." Jo muttered. The door slammed and she was off, red eyes gleaming in the streetlamp lit nights.

**Ok so I know it's a bit of a cliffhanger, but hopefully you'll keep reading to find out what exactly is going on that's got Meg in danger (like thats a surprise though)..****No worries though, the next chapter will have more Meg in it for all you Meg fans :)**

**As always, any feedback is welcome. Feel free to review or send a message :)**


	3. Tournament

**Welcome to Chapter 3! Thank you so much for all the reviews, the hits, and the overall reading. Ok, so this chapter is LONG, but I like to think it sets up some good old-fashoined...well, I guess thats for the next chapter, hmmm? As always, enjoy, and thanks again for reading!**

In reality, Meg shouldn't have been surprised that the minute she stepped out on her own she would get into some sort of trouble. But, an emotion clouded mind and the lack of any sort of response from Jo that signified she was on her side at all was too much to deal with and Meg was certain that a cool, relaxing walk would let things settle down and allow her to get back to the trailer seeming unaffected by what had been going on.

Of, course, that had been the plan. Still, she hadn't gotten far when Meg noticed the unusually large amounts of shady characters wandering around. Normally, she wouldn't be scared, then again normally, Jo was with her. Meg warily kept a hand near her gun, and she felt lucky that she had kept it on all that day.

"Ooohhh." She said quietly under her breath, talking to herself. "Jo, god, of all the nights, ugh." She complained.

"Hey there little lady…" A man slurred from behind. Meg spun around quickly, her face horrified.

"Eww! Get away creep!" She yelled, walking away faster than she was before. She turned back to the direction she was walking to find a huge crowd of people up ahead. Interested far more than she should have been, Meg slunk over to the edge, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Alright youse slumbags, put up or shut up!" A fat man yelled from the middle of the circle. "Youse all got ya's fair warnings about tonight…the tournament starts, no matter whose ya are. Ya should've stayed in if ya didn't wanna fight."

Meg's mind went into a panic. A tournament? She hadn't heard of any sort of tournament happening at all, and she knew if Sei knew about it, surely they would be there to break it up. Unless, of course, Bai-Lan had organized it, though it seemed unlikely due to the characters that were leeringly hanging about around the man in the middle. She turned to leave, but gasped as she was roughly turned around.

"Well well, where do you think you're going, girlie? Surely you heard the news too. There's no turning back once you come out."

"Uh well, you see..." Meg scratched the back of her head, trying to come up with an excuse so she could get back home. "I'm not from around here, you know? I, uh, just moved in." She laughed nervously. "So maybe I can just go home now? I took a wrong turn somewhere around here. Didn't mean to interrupt your meeting, uh…have a good night!" She finished before trying to leave again. The grip on her arm remained.

"Sorry lady, but rules are rules. Head on up to the front; maybe the boss up there'll let you go." She shoved her forward and the crowd parted to let Meg through, many of the man either glaring surly at her, or running their eyes up and down her body. Creeped out further than she was before, she hesitantly walked up, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead, afraid of what she would see if she turned them either way.

The fat man glanced over Meg easily his face smirking as he realized just exactly was going on.

"Look, sir, please, I really don't mean to be here. It's just a mistake..." Meg spoke, her words growing quieter as she quickly lost hope.

"This here tournament has been known about for weeks and talked about all over the place. You really expect me to believe you're new in town and have no idea? I ain't stupid lady. You came out here, you're signed up. If you're scared now, there ain't no turning back. You gotta either fight until you win, or until you die."

"What?!" Meg yelled, shocked. The man took a step back. "A fight until...the death?! Oh man, no way!"

"Get over it sweetheart, you're in it now. And that goes for all of youse guys too! No turning back! If you wanted the money than goddamn you're gonna fight for it." He grabbed Meg's arm, lowering his voice as he talked to her, leading her aside as the rest of the group followed dutifully to whatever place it was that they were going. "Look, kid, sorry, but I don't make the rules. I was told to have some sort of place where people could fight without getting caught. I got paid a nice lump of dough, and whoever wins this thing is gonna get some too. Everyone's gotta play or the deal is off. They said they got eyes and I ain't too stupid to know when to keep my mouth shut and do as asked."

"But this is all a mistake!' Meg pleaded.

"I guess you oughta learn how to fight then." They group disappeared into the darkness ahead.

Meanwhile, Jo was running wildly through the streets as she careened past the few people out once the sun went down.

"Amy, have you found her yet?" She asked in short huffs, her breaths causing large bouts of static that normally, Amy would complain about, but tonight, she kept unusually quiet.

"I think so. She's in the Shinogawa district." Amy told Jo, her face intently monitoring the small dot on the screen in front of her.

Jo cursed inwardly as she sped up, pushing herself to every limit she knew. This was her fault, she thought. If it wasn't for her and the fact that whatever she had done had caused Amy to tease Meg and that in turn caused Meg to leave was not something she wanted on her hands. Tonight was not the night to be wandering the streets, unless of course, you had a death wish

Meg sat down quietly in a small holding pen somewhere; it was dark and smelly and the fact that she was all alone and about to fight for the death was not putting her in a hopeful mood. The thought still lingered in her mind that Jo would show up, as always to save her, but the night grew longer in her mind and she felt the lack of reassurance from her usual partner to be something of a hindrance to her at least attempting to focus on finding a way out of this mess.

So, instead of trying to put it away, Meg sat and thought. Even though thinking about certain silver-haired savior caused this whole mess, the red eyes stared her down from the inside out. Jo was everything to Meg, in reality. She knew that without Jo she'd more than likely be dead. And sure, she had come very, very close to it. And she had been kidnapped more than a few times than she would have preferred but, she thought with a small smile, she had always known Jo would show up just in time to save her. And she could always hear her in her head when things got bad. She could close her eyes and picture Jo's arrival. She'd imagine it, grand and spectacular, though that was never Jo's style, no. Jo would always slip in, she would find her first. Jo would always ask if she was okay. That was always the first thing. No sporadic killings, no ultimate destruction. Meg always came first. And that was how Meg knew, in her heart, that Jo was the only person who ever would do something like that for her. No parents, no siblings, and sure, Sei and Amy were about two of the closest people she had in her life. Of course Kyohei was in there too, and she sure did love his food, but Jo was different. And always would be because-

Her thoughts were quickly ended as a ferocious noise came against the door. Meg jumped to her feet, startled, and moved away from it as it opened slowly.

"Alright you, it's time for the first round." It was the fat man from before. "You at least got something to fight with, right?" Meg sheepishly held up the small pistol she felt extremely lucky to have. The man sighed, shaking his head, but led her out the door. "C'mon, we don't got all day here."

Meg stepped into a small arena crowded by hundreds of very tough, strong looking men. In the opposite corner, an extremely tall man stood, towering over Meg by what looked like at least a foot and a half, if not more. He also had the advantage of holding a very large gun, which he waved about to his supporters joyously. The look on his face was pure excitement, while the one on Meg's was not nearly as excited. Frantically, she tried to think of a game plan to buy her some time until she could get a lucky shot or so in. Buy her some time until she got away, escaped, or maybe even convinced the man to stop, though she doubted the last one. The idea of blood on her hands made her uncomfortable.

Jo stopped for about the span of five seconds once she had made her way into the district. The dark lonely streets once seen as perfect places to hide and ambush now only served as an everlasting maze in which Meg was hiding.

"Amy." She said, moving again. "Is she still here?"

"She stopped in one place for a long time, but no worries. I've still got her signal. I think she's still above ground too, Sei said the tournament won't take place in the sewers, the fighting will be too good for that."

"Alright then." Jo sighed. "Keep me updated. If a single thing changes you better tell me." Her voice was low and threatening.

"Hey, hey, no need to be like that!" Amy laughed nervously. "I want Meg back just as much as you do."

Grumbling, Jo ignored Amy. It was just like Sei to end up getting Meg in a mess that only Jo could take care of. This tournament had been scheduled for weeks, she knew, a by-product of Bai Lan genius. Some infiltrate, who it was, Jo didn't know, and didn't care, was going to be entering to tournament. At the end, they were supposed to be the winner, take home the prize money and spilt it back with Bai Lan. Apparently, Bai Lan felt that the way to handle the ongoing number of criminals was not to let Jo simply take them down, as she would have preferred, rather, let them handle themselves. The only reason why she knew it was going on was because Sei had implicitly told her that the night was not the one to go out for a little excursion. Anyone found on the streets was automatically entered, no turning back. Sei had said, in no uncertain terms, that Jo was not to go out and get entered in the contest, on the off chance that she would lose. Jo scoffed at the idea still. There would be no way she would lose something as trivial as a mere street fight.

Meg though...the thought made Jo reconsider her previous thoughts about the tournament. A fight to the death was one thing she enjoyed, but not Meg. Meg, Jo recalled, never was the one to get her hands dirty. She was capable of fighting, at least, and Jo smirked slightly at this as she remembered, she could try to fight. But Meg had always had her right by her side. And that was where she belonged. As far back as Jo could remember, or want to remember, she had kept by Meg's side, and protected her. That was all she did. And Jo didn't mind it; rather, those times to her were the times when things felt like this was how they should be.

So there was the problem. Meg was going to have to fight, without Jo. And that was unacceptable. It was time to make an appearance and Jo, as usual didn't have a plan

"Jo, just what do you think you're doing?" Sei's voice crackled to life as if she had heard Jo's thoughts. "You don't plan on just rushing in there and shooting them all until you get Meg are you?"

Jo came quickly to the realization that yes, that was exactly what she was planning to do. Sei's tone made it sound like a bad thing though.

"Mmm. No?"

"Jo, be serious. You can't compromise this mission; it's been planned for weeks."

"I don't care. Meg gets out safely, that's the new mission."

"Jo, you can't. Find some other way to do it."

"Send out Jango." Jo figured it would be simply to swoop in, pick Meg up and leave. Maybe she would even get to "accidently" step on some of them while in the process.

"Don't be ridiculous." Sei sighed. "Look, I've sent word to some of my contacts. They're going to try and find a way to get Meg through without her getting hurt, until you can find the right time to pull her away."

"Try?" Jo said simply, masking her anger as she neared her destination.

"Yes, Jo. Try. They can't make any guarantees."

"I'll handle this, ok?" Jo snarled in, furious with the easy-going tone Sei was speaking in.

"I mean it Jo."

"So do I." Jo cut off the feed. Up ahead, a large, restless crowd had formed. Knowing that somewhere deep in there, Meg was hiding, caused Jo to barely remain controlled as she came up to arena.

The fat man had brought both Meg and the other contestant towards the center of the ring as he explained the rules. "No unfair fighting. Keep this thing here clean you got it?" He looked at the man. "You're fighting a lady, now you oughta treat it right." The guy simply nodded, smirking. His hand tightened on the gun in his hand. Meg's fingers shook slightly around the small pistol.

They had brought together their hands for a handshake when a bullet ripped through the air into the man's hand. Screaming as he grabbed, he fell in pain. Meg looked for her savior, hoping, praying that it was-!

Jo stood there, a pathway cleared, a Desert Eagle smoking from her hand. "I suggest you let her go." Her voice was threatening.

"Jo!" Meg's voice carried through the crowd. Jo walked up to her, gun pointed and at the ready. "Jo, I knew you'd come. Oh…"Meg felt her knees go weak at the sight of the girl. She collapsed, hanging onto Jo. Jo didn't move an inch, knowing that Meg would make herself secure.

"Look you, this girls fighting whether you want her to or not!" A voice yelled from the crowd, as several others voiced their agreement.

"No, she's not." Jo looked at Meg, who was hiding herself in Jo.

"What are you gonna do about it?" The man who Jo had shot was back on his feet, blood dripping on the white floor of the area.

"I'll…" Jo thought first of Sei and her orders. Then, she saw Meg out of the corner of her eye. Sei needed her. Meg needed her. It was an easy choice to make. "I'll take her place."

The fat man, who had been looking on the whole time, stepped into the ring, his eyes never leaving the two girls. "If you know the risks..."

"I know what's at stake." Jo stared the man down.

"Fine, then. If you want to die instead of her, be my guest." He waved his hand.

Jo took Meg over to the corner, just out of the ring but still within sight. Sitting her down, Meg came to.

"Jo…?" Her voice was stronger than Jo expected it to be.

"Yeah Meg, it's me. Don't get out of my sight ok? Stay here." She turned to head into the fight.

"Are you going to fight? Jo, you can't! It's a fight to the death!" Meg snapped awake as she watched Jo leave.

"I came all the way out here to save you. You think I'm just gonna let those creeps get away with it?"

"What if you get hurt?" Jo watched Meg for a minute, not used to the tone of her voice. It was soft, pleading…it made her feel different, but no, now was not the time for that, and besides, Meg looked worried as Jo came up with her answer.

"I'm going to win." Jo told her. It was stupid for Meg to think otherwise.

"How do you know though? Jo, I…you just can't lose."

"I said that I would always protect you. I'm not going to give up now." Jo looked at Meg's blue eyes, which were slightly moist; why was it that so many things made Meg upset? She turned away, Meg letting go of her reluctantly.

"Good luck Jo." She whispered quietly, watching her red-eyed hero enter the battle.


	4. Clearing, Cleansing

**Alright folks, here we go with Chapter 4! Hopefully you all like it :) Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, read, or even thought about this at least once. It means a lot to me and motivates me to keep writing :) Enjoy!**

Jo honestly could care less about the man in front of her right now. The need to fight barely outweighed the need to protect Meg, but since protecting Meg involved fighting, Jo was happy enough to take on the additional measures. He was already bleeding from the handy shot Jo had fired earlier at the edge of the crowd, and Jo felt better that the confident smirk she had seen him looking at Meg with had conveniently disappeared.

"Alright then, let's get this thing started…" Jo said quietly as she stared the other man down.

"Fine with me girlie." He said smirking. Jo's eyes widened, she raised her gun and shot the man in the chest before he had time to process what was going on. He crumpled to the ground bleeding. The crowd was in uproar as all the men clambered around, trying to see what was going on. Jo watched the man fall, and then turned away. She knew the minute she had shot that the bullet would take the man's life, and she didn't care. The quicker this went the better. There wasn't time to sit around making her normal, prideful threats. These people frankly didn't deserve it.

"He's…he's dead." The organizer said, turning up to look at Jo. She nodded. "You didn't even give him the chance to fight fair!"

"He had his chance."

"You pulled your gun on him as soon as this thing started."

"I don't have time to mess around with people like him."

"What'd he ever do to you?" The man seemed both bewildered and outraged at the same time. Jo broke her stare at the man to look over at Meg, who seemed to be watching nervously Jo and her surroundings at the same time.

"He's lucky. If he had laid a hand on Meg, this fight would have lasted a lot longer than this. I put him out of his misery." The corner of her mouth turned up into a traditional smirk.

"He fought fair. You're just a girl; he was trying to be polite."

"Everyone ought to stop calling me girlie." She said, her voice cold. "I'm not here to act like one."

"You mean…you did that…he called you a name?" The man seemed too stunned to speak. Jo watched him for another second or two before leaving the ring. She had more important matters to take care of. One person down, and however many more to go Jo didn't know. But Meg was there, looking for her and she was not going to disappoint.

"Meg." Jo said, getting the girls attention. Meg smiled at Jo, though nervously.

"Jo. You're ok."

"Of course I am…" She sighed, helping the other girl up. Once she was standing, Jo kept a hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"

Meg could have cried right then and there after hearing the one person that meant the world to her say those words. Any fear that she may have had, any disbelief or unwillingness was gone as those three words came out of Jo's mouth. Things would be okay, because Jo was here, and Jo could take any one of these guys without thinking, and she already had, and she could take all of them, and nothing could be better because she was just here, not for herself, not for Sei but for her, for Meg.

"Jo, I'm fine." She smiled, hugging the girl. Jo stood still and allowed Meg to hug her. When the younger girl had finally had enough of holding Jo she moved away.

"C'mon, I need to get you somewhere safe so no one tries anything…" Jo told her.

"Jo, I'm not going anywhere if you're going to be fighting." Meg laughed at the end. "I'm not going to just let you stay here alone." Jo was the slightest bit taken aback at the fact that Meg had finally decided to not listen to Jo at the worst possible time.

"What if someone kidnaps you while I'm busy fighting?" Jo asked her.

"In front of all these people?" Meg gestured. Jo took a sweeping look with her eyes.

"Especially these people. They wouldn't hesitate to take you." Jo narrowed her eyes as one of the onlookers stared a little too long in their direction.

"Honestly Jo, they don't have a reason to."

"They're not stupid. At least, I don't think so."

"Jo, you're doing that thing again, the one where you change subjects without letting me know what's going on…" Meg complained, trying to lighten the mood. "What are you talking about?"

"Just…you have to get out of here. I can't focus on fighting and keeping you safe." Jo shrugged, unaware that what she had said was seen as something immensely adorable in Meg's eyes.

"I can't Jo. We're partners, remember?" Meg smiled, hopeful. "We have to stick together."

"If they take you though, then…" Jo paused insure of what she was trying to say. Why was it that Meg couldn't see that if she got kidnapped again, Jo would be forced to pull out of the tournament. She would have to save her, that was just the natural order of the world. Pulling out of the tournament, Jo concluded, wouldn't be the worst thing, but the fact that no one would take her seriously would.

"Jo, I'm staying." Meg said, trying to be serious, though it didn't really work when, Jo noticed, that she stomped her foot on the ground and pouted.

"You don't look very serious when you do that, you know…"Jo pointed out. Meg's face dropped and she stared at Jo exasperatedly.

"Is now really the time for this Jo?"

"I thought you were trying to be serious."

"I am!" Meg huffed. "I won't let them take me, I promise." Jo gave her what Meg knew to be almost a smirk. "Don't give me that look." She pouted again.

"I don't want you to stay." Jo told her.

"You don't want me to stay?" Meg's voice was filled with hurt. Jo was the smallest bit confused. Didn't she just say that to Meg? She shook her head slightly, as if it could clear the thought. "Jo, please. Let me stay with you."

"Why?" Jo asked, thinking she had the right to. After all, if Meg was going to make such a fuss, Jo felt she at least should know why. Meg on the other hand, was once again struck by the effects of having Jo being the most blunt person ever, and panicking. She needed to stay for reasons even she couldn't explain.

"Jo it's…my heart is telling me to stay with you. I know it's probably safer to go back to Sei and Amy but…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say. "I thought that I was gonna have to fight Jo. For once, I was going to have put my life on the line. And I wasn't scared about fighting." She stopped for a second, gauging Jo's reaction. Jo was with Meg; after all, she knew that although Meg did get kidnapped, she did know how to fight. Being thrust into a situation like this shouldn't have made her afraid, and Jo was glad to hear Meg say that she wasn't scared.

"Ok." She spoke calmly, no signs of emotions on her face. Meg sighed, but continued.

"I was scared I was going to lose though. I was scared that I was going to die." Meg said nervously. Jo's brain quickly realized exactly what Meg had said, and the truth that was held deep within it. She was right. She could have died. These people here wouldn't stop for mercy, or for kindness. They would have used every dirty trick imaginable to beat her. And Meg would have died. That fact stuck Jo dumb, and the look of utter bewilderment crept onto her face for the first time in a very long time. It seemed unbelievable. Meg dying was a thought that never crossed Jo's mind. She was her guardian. Meg simply couldn't die as long as Jo was around. But this was a scenario that suggested she could have. And the entire outcome was decided by seconds. A few seconds later and…

"Meg…you…"Jo had no idea what to say. She took a step forward, closer to the younger girl. Tentatively, she reached out a hand, as if Meg was going to disappear any second. She lifted it up to Meg's face, then past it, and gently, Jo took her fingers and closed it around Meg's hair. She gripped it tightly, and with it in her grasp she felt reaffirmed at the presence of the girl in front of her. How many times had this hair been draped across her face when Meg hugged her? How often had it blanketed her body when Meg hid from her movies, or whatever bad guy was currently trying to attack? Jo sighed as it remained still in her hands, not disappearing. Meg was fine, she reasoned with herself. She was here, alive and well and she ought to get herself under more control.

"Jo…"Meg whispered quietly, not knowing exactly what to do. She raised her hand so it covered Jo's and gently took it off. Jo's hands were soft, softer than Meg thought they would be, but it felt like silk, like satin, rubbing against her, the delicate ends of her fingertips holding tight onto Meg's hand and it felt like the glove was rougher than anything, if only Jo would take it off, so Meg could feel more softness, more Jo, more of that emotion that was running through her body.

It was love. Meg realized it with the sudden clarity of the sun breaking over the horizon onto a new day. This right now, this right here, her holding onto Jo, her telling her everything, her trust, her belief, her life…all of it depended on the older girl on front of her. She was nothing without that. She was nothing without her Jo. Her Jo. Because Jo belonged to her, she realized. That was why she followed her everywhere, that was why she had to stay. Because if Jo was gone, then Meg would lose everything. And she knew that she couldn't tell Jo. She couldn't tell anyone. Loving her, loving Jo…that was something that went unsaid. But this kind of love, this new, powerful kind, was different. This love wanted to hold Jo close, wanted to whisper quietly in her ear things that Meg had read in books or seen on TV. This love was one that would make her cry with its happy, warm feelings and utter completeness. But she still couldn't say. Jo didn't need that on her. Jo didn't have to do anything. Meg would love Jo with all she had, until the day came where she could say that she loved her. She would hide it away, display it in little moments. Tell her slowly, calmly, bits and pieces of love.

"Even that though wasn't the thing that scared me the most Jo. Dying wasn't the thing I was the most afraid of. Jo…"She whispered it, and Jo strained to hear her voice. "I was afraid that I was never going to see you again."

It was Jo's biggest fear as well. Meg was a part of her, that much she knew. Meg was as much a part of her as Jango, or her Desert Eagles. The idea of one part of them not having the other was something Jo couldn't comprehend. If she had never seen Meg again, Jo for once didn't know what she would have done. There weren't enough things to shoot and kill, not enough people and places to destroy. What good were her guns if she couldn't protect Meg with them? There wasn't an answer to the questions Jo had, and the questions she was asking she didn't know existed. All of sudden now, there were so many more problems. There was so much more to focus on, but the wind had shifted and all Jo could think about was the scent of Meg's hair. It was clean, pure. No blood was mixed in with it, and the foul stench of the area seemed to disappear. It felt…good. It was right, to Jo. This was worth fighting for. The person right in front of her, the one person that made her feel human. She backtracked into her mind. It was ludicrous to think that she could fight without Meg here. Otherwise, she had nothing to fight for.

"You can stay." Jo said quietly, putting her head on Meg's shoulder, her face towards the ground as she hid the whatever emotion was on her face, giving in to the other girl. Meg watched her with a new sort of fondness. "I want you to stay."

"Ok, Jo." Meg told, bending over so she could speak quietly to the girl. "I'll stay."

**Ok, so I know some of you were looking forward to a little Jo butt-kicking action, but, not to worry, there will be some fighting...eventually. But think of the bright side...Meg loves Jo! (duh) Personally, I figured it was time for a little fluff. Keeps things sweet :) I promise you, there'll be an update coming soon! Thanks again for reading.**


	5. Uh, Surprise?

**Welcome back and thanks for sticking with me this far....here comes another chapter, and it's a bit of a long one :) Thank you all so much for the reviews and hits, you guys really inspire me to keep writing and I plan on taking this thing to the end of it's road, whenever that is. As always, please enjoy Chapter 5 (wow!) and thanks again for reading**

They could have stood there forever; in fact Meg wished they could have. But Jo wasn't one to stay like that for long, and she picked herself back up without the slightest hint of embarrassment or emotion, and Meg almost laughed at the nonplussed expression on her face. Instead of walking away though, or going off to presumably beat up some more people, because Meg knew that this tournament wasn't close to being over yet, and she was going to have watch Jo fight literally for her life many more times, Jo stayed close to Meg. Close enough so that if the wind was right, Meg could smell the leather, and the powder and smoke from her guns, and she could feel the edges of her scarf blow against her, almost wrapping around her legs and body. And Meg didn't want her to move. There was no need to. Having Jo remain close was something Meg hardly ever got to experience.

Of course, the reason why Jo remained close was simply because she figured if she didn't let Meg out of her sight or farther away than a few feet, then no matter what happened, she could take care of whatever problem that could ensue. It didn't seem like such a bad idea to her anyway. She knew that Meg was always pestering her whenever she was alone, always following her or sneaking along trying to pretend she wasn't there or wasn't inside Jo's very nice and rather large personal bubble space. Now that Jo thought about it, there really was no personal bubble space whenever Meg was around.

"I mean it this time Meg; don't get out of my sight." Jo told her, eyes wary.

"Alright Jo, jeez, relax." Meg huffed. "I'm right here ok? See? Alive and well." She giggled. "What's got you so worked up anyway?"

Jo glared at Meg just as the communicator starting beeping. "That." She said, answering it.

"Jo? Did you find her? Is everything ok?" Amy's voice rang through the receiver and Jo wanted to take the offending instrument and crush it into tiny, little pieces. She had no patience for Amy's high-pitched tone at the moment.

"It's me. Yes. Let me speak to Sei." Jo answered Amy's questions shortly.

"Fine, you big meanie!" Jo could almost see Amy pouting on the other end of the phone. There was a moment of static until Sei's much calmer and low-pitched voice came through the device.

"Sei? Where are you guys?" Jo asked.

"Turn around." Sei smiled in the phone, hanging up. Jo spun to see the trailer at the edge of the crowd, attracting a lot of attention. Jo sighed. Great; now there was only going to be a larger fuss about all of this. She looked at Meg, whose face had lit up with happiness. Jo felt an odd pang of emotion that she couldn't quite place.

Earlier, Sei, Jo thought, was wondering what Jo thought of her. Honestly, Jo had always seen Sei as basically her employer at a job. She had excellent benefits of course, the main being that she was fed, had a room and enough money and Jango of course. Now, though, the relief that came from seeing them was something Jo didn't think she would ever feel. The annoyance towards Amy was more of something that she saw of as a natural thing. But Amy still had always fixed her T.V. and sure the brat was exactly that- a brat- but she treated Jo decently and, most importantly, attempted to treat Meg nicely. If it wasn't for the fact that Meg enjoyed antagonizing the younger girl, Jo would have taken care of some of her earlier grievances in a much more…personal way.

Now though, things were different. Meg was the only person Jo had ever seen as her "family". Sei and Amy were her family though, Jo considered. But, they were different than Meg. They were something Jo enjoyed having. She felt better with them around. Jo needed Meg though. If the day came, she could leave Sei and Amy. It would be hard, she thought, because she had grown used to everything they did and the way they acted. She knew that their annoyances would turn into memories, such as her past in New York with Meg; after all it had been something Jo didn't like, because it was hard for Meg and it was in fact, a little lonely; but she remembered it with a sort of pride, like battle scars of her mind.

There wasn't a thing you could do though, to make her leave Meg. It was a fact of nature. Jo, for the life of her, couldn't think of any one thing in the world that would be so much more important that it would cause her to leave Meg. There was not one thing, not even Jango, who she adored simply for its ability to kill and maim things were more ease than before, or her Desert Eagles, which were a part of identity. There could always be new guns though, she reasoned, even if they weren't what she used to. And Jango, as much as that cybot had saved her life, she needed it to save Meg. No Meg, no Jango. No Meg…no need for anything else.

The thing that Jo couldn't figure out, as she continued to follow Meg over through the crowd to the trailer, was the reason why Meg was different than Sei or Amy. It wasn't that she had been with Meg longer, of course, literally she had, but staying with Meg didn't mean staying in one place, and they had moved around a lot in New York before coming to Tokyo and staying with Amy and Sei. And staying in one place wasn't it either. She could stay wherever Meg wanted, she rationalized. That was why they stayed, wasn't it? Because Meg was happy here. Jo was happy too, at least, she was ok with it. Which was perfectly fine with her. The food was good. The people were good.

"Jo." Speaking of good people, Jo finally looked up to see Sei standing there, a bemused expression on her face.

"Sei." She answered. Sei smiled, knowing to take what she could get from her best gun-for-hire.

"You found her."

"Lucky you." Jo mumbled. Sei laughed, while Amy and Meg stared confusedly at the two.

"How'd you do it?" Sei asked Jo, obviously impressed.

"Whiz kid helped me get here." Jo's eyes shifted to look over at Amy, who seemed proud of that fact. "I got here just in time anyway. Goddamn it Sei, this thing was a fight to the death."

"I know. I'm glad you got here in…wait. What do you mean, just in time?"

Jo simply looked at Sei and answered in that unconcerned voice Sei knew she'd have. "I took Meg's place in the tournament. Right before the first fight was about to begin."

"You what?!" Both Amy and Sei yelled at the same time. Jo simply stepped over to Meg, assuming a close, possessive position. Why did people always ask her what she said when it was clear they heard it? Jo could never figure that out.

"Jo stepped in. You guys, for real, this guy was huge! I'm talking like twice my size here! I could have taken him of course-ouch!" She exclaimed, looking irritably over at Jo, who had just elbowed her in the ribs. "What was that for?!"

"Don't lie." Jo told her. Meg pouted for a second, then resumed her story.

"Anyway…"She dragged out the word, giving Jo a pointed expression. "Jo was like bang! And shot him in the hand and was all like...cool and...stuff…" She trailed off after looking at the expressions on Amy and Sei's faces, both of which were very poorly concealing laughter. Jo merely looked at her with the faintest hint of a smile on her face, one no one but Meg would ever be able to notice. She didn't mind Meg complimenting her and her skills with her Desert Eagles. "Shut up!"

"Once again, I didn't say anything." Amy mocked.

"The point is, I took Meg's place-"

"Killed the guy without like even blinking-"

"And now-" Jo glared at Meg, daring her to interrupt. "I'm fighting."

Sei watched helplessly as the story played out in front of her. Her grandfather had specifically told her not to get Jo involved, it was way too dangerous for her section, especially if something were to happen to Jo. She was the best in Sei's opinion, and even her grandfather recognized the skill and talent Jo had. Plus, there was already a Bai-Lan operative in there. One of them was going to have to die, eventually. And whoever the fighter was obviously was someone who was good enough to fight their way to the top and win.

"I thought I told you not to get involved." Sei tried to sound serious and mad, instead of worried. "Grandfather is not going to be happy about this."

"I don't care. They can have the money when I win." Jo said indifferently.

"Jo, there's already a Bai-Lan employee in there. They're going to have to make a choice over which one of you wins and which one of you loses."

"I bet the guy gets killed before he even reaches the top." Meg scoffed. "Anyway, Jo would naturally win."

"Jo would win, there's no question in that, but that's not the problem here."

"Looks to me like we don't have a problem then." Jo spoke quietly.

"Dammit Jo!" Sei spun to look her straight in the eyes. "They're going to make a choice, and if they didn't choose you to do this before, what makes you think they're going to choose you now?!" A silence fell over the group.

"Sei, you…not really, right? I mean, come on." Meg spoke and it was obvious to anyone the nervous, scared tones in her voice.

"I don't know." Sei shook her head, sighing. Amy looked confusedly between Jo and Sei.

"Sei, you didn't tell me about that on the way here…" Meg tore her eyes off of Sei to look at Amy, who spoke in an unusually hurt tone of voice.

"Amy, I…" She trailed off. Amy watched her for a second, then ran inside into the trailer. There were a few moments of silence afterward. Sei kept her eyes focused on the trailer, because she didn't want to look at what she knew would be Meg's crushed face and Jo's apathetic, yet sure to be angry, glare.

"What she'd run off like that for?" Jo wondered aloud. She turned to Meg, hoping to find an answer. Instead she was met with a nearly tearful face.

"I don't know Jo." Meg reached out to her, and, when Jo showed no signs of pulling away, she nearly fell onto her, holding her tight. Jo watched her out of the corner of her eyes. Meg was sad again, and this time, Jo thought she knew why.

"This is going to be hard to fix, isn't it?" She asked Meg quietly. Meg looked up at Jo with a quiet determination, a look that Jo had rarely seen before on her younger companion.

"Dammed if we don't fix it though. I swear, Jo, I am not going to lose you."

"You're the one I'm worried about." Jo spoke with her clear honesty. "I don't care who they pick. I'm not dying just because some old guy says I should." She shrugged, as if the topic of her death was an everyday conversation. Meg simply sighed with contentedness and she buried her head in Jo's neck.

Jo took no notice of anything else then but the sweet scent of cleanliness from Meg's hair. That was why she didn't notice the organizer of the tournament making his way, slowly but surely, towards the group. Sei was surprised when he spoke, and both Meg and Jo had to turn and face him. The obliviousness scared her for a second, until she realized that it was by accident. It was hard for her to not smile at that.

"Excuse me, uh, Jo, right?"

"Hnn?" Jo answered, almost sleepily, as if she had pulled out a trance

"Yes, well, uh. Look, this thing ain't over yet. Where do ya think you're going?"

"In my house." Jo told him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You ain't leaving are ya?"He asked almost hopefully, as if Jo leaving would make something better.

"No." She blinked. "Is it time to fight again?"

"No. Not until tomorrow. The first round's about to end though; seems you inspired some people to do it quickly, inside of dragging it out. A bunch turned tail and ran." He sighed. "You ain't got a lot of people happy with ya right now, I'm not gonna lie to ya."

"I don't care." Jo pushed Meg so she was standing behind her, Jo's body like a shield.

"This your house then?"

"Yes. It's very well protected. Mainly by me. So I say, go back and tell anyone if they want to try and get me, they better do it where they've got a chance of a fair fight." She grumbled, her eyes angry.

The man seemed taken aback by Jo's spitfire words and calm demeanor. Meg watched amusedly as the man floundered trying to find a way to get a rise out of her.

"Uh, right then. Don't leave." He scrutinized Jo. "There are a lot of people that wanna fight ya."

"Good." Jo said, slightly smirking. Meg could have nearly laughed out loud at Jo's obvious cluelessness to what was actually taking place. It looked like a scene out of some dramatic movie, and Jo acting as the cool, mysterious heroine. It was just like her to not even get the threat concealed in the man's voice. The man was obviously not used to Jo, then again, no one really was compared to Meg, and even she didn't know what to expect sometimes.

"Ok, then…make sure you're here right at sundown so the rest of the fights can begin. Soon we're gonna have to move to a new location though. I guarantee ya the rest of this lot won't go down as easy as the first guy. And some of 'em are saying they got mechas. And they're willing to use 'em, so we're gonna need a bigger location. You even got one of those things?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, just asking, no need to be affronted with it, jeez, you sure got one hell of an attitude. Not-" He added hastily, after Jo's eyes narrowed with slight anger. "That it's a bad thing."

"Anything else you want to tell her?" Sei's voice asked haughtily. "We have other things that require our attention other than standing here listening to you blather on about some ridiculous fight that isn't even taking place until tomorrow. We're not going anywhere, and your men shouldn't even think of coming near this trailer tonight, because it will not sit well with any of us." When the man's face gave into what looked like to be a laugh, Sei added in, "And all of us have made it this far without ever getting into trouble. We'd hate to have to get in some now." Both Jo and Meg watched the leader of their group show exactly why she was one.

"Ah, um yeah, ok lady." He waved her off, obviously oblivious to the fact he was talking to someone much more important than him, and turned to find a Desert Eagle pointed at his head. Jo was staring him down, with Meg behind, trying to placate her.

"Jo, it's fine, calm down, calm down, he's just an idiot…" She danced around, pleading in that too-happy voice she used when nervous. Jo heard her out of the corner of her ear, but made no recognition that she did.

"Show some respect…"She nearly growled it at the man, her voice was so low and threatening.

"Jo, please, it's fine." Sei said, sighing.

"Yeah, you crazy!" The man's hands went up in defense. Jo wondered briefly how he thought his hands were going to stop a bullet. There was no way possible to do so, unless his hands were like Jango's, which, from the look of them, was not the case.

"What's your name anyway?" Sei asked, wondering how on earth a man like him had done so much to make Jo angry without even realizing it. Silently, she cursed Bai-Lan for its impeccable taste in hiring people.

"They uh…"His face went between Sei's and the barrel of Jo's gun. "My name is Kaneshi." He stumbled over it, as though unsure.

"I suggest you leave…"Sei pointed out, making sure the man saw her eyes shift to Jo and back. "Do not worry about Jo, here. She'll be at your little contest tomorrow." Jo's eyes narrowed as she focused on the nearly groveling man in front of them.

Since Kaneshi was given the chance, he nearly ran away and the rest of the competitors protested at the fact that the girl not only got away with winning, which wasn't even really a problem except with their pride, but got to stay in a nice trailer with other people. Meg could hear their complaining from the other side of the area. She watched them for a minute, amused.

However, her attention was brought right back to where they were standing as she felt a weight settle on her. Looking at her shoulder, she saw Jo leaning against it, eyes closed.

"Jo, are you okay?" Sei asked. She watched Meg look over Jo, and could see the tenderness in her face.

"I think she's fine Sei…" Meg spoke quietly, with a sense of affection. This was what she could do. She could take care of Jo until whatever was wrong was better. Fix out those little bumps in her brain that caused her to worry or fret. Let her sleep peacefully. Let her douse her food in hot sauce and not make a face when she saw her eating it. Let her sit in quiet and watch her movies as she laughed, just the tiniest bit, at whatever monstrous killing was going on. She could take care of Jo. Love her enough in all those ways so maybe one day Jo could know and there wouldn't be anything to fix, no wires to cross in that brain of hers.

"Meg…" Jo murmured, coming a little out of her exhaustion.

"It's fine Jo. I'm right here." She put her arm around Jo's waist and helped her into the trailer. They walked into the room they shared, and Meg let Jo gently down onto her bed. Jo kicked off her shoes instinctually and laid down.

"Don't leave the trailer…" Jo was attempting to order Meg, but it didn't really work. She chuckled, pulling the sheets over Jo, tucking her in.

"I'm not leaving." Meg smiled. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

**Ok, so I know it ends again with Meg and Jo talking, but please forgive me! I promise the next will not end this way :) As always, questions, comments and concerns are welcome, along with anything else you'd like to add. Thanks again for all you guys have done. You're the best! ~I'll try to put another chapter up soon :)~**


	6. A Little Less Conversation

**Welcome back to Chapter 6! Thank you to all who have read and/or reviewed. You all are the best!**

**Disclaimer (I figured I really needed to put one in- please don't sue me!) -- I own nothing. Sadly.**

**As always, any feedback is welcome :) Thanks again to everyone. Enjoy!**

Meg didn't even know if Jo had heard her, but her breathing was regular and deep, and she could tell that Jo was resting. She left the door open a crack and went out to the kitchen, which was surprisingly absent of the chef Meg had come to like.

"Kyohei's not here, if that's what you're looking for…" Meg turned, surprised, to see Amy sitting at the kitchen table, a glass filled with some liquid resting between her hands.

"I hope that's not alcohol…" Meg said worriedly, before huffing and sitting down. "What's up with you anyway? You practically ran back in here crying earlier."

"Shut up. I don't cry." She scowled, looking determinedly into the glass.

"Yeah, neither do I." Meg pointed out laughing. "Come on, brat, you can tell me." She sighed.

"Calling someone a brat isn't the best way to get what you want." Amy's voice had a little bit of that teasing tone it usually carried.

"I'm concerned whether you believe me or not, you know…" Meg said, getting up to search through the cupboards in search of something to eat.

"I'm scared Meg." Amy said, while Meg froze, her hand reaching up into the cupboard. "What if Bai-Lan picks the other guy. Then what happens?" Meg slowly came down from the shelf and sat back down, a box of candy sitting in front of her.

"I didn't know you cared about that so much…" Meg told her, trying to keep a lighter mood. She didn't want to think about the subject either.

"You don't like to think about it, either, huh?" Amy asked. Meg grimaced, the girl's ability to do what seemed like reading minds was both uncanny and unnerving, though sometimes helpful. This was not one of those times though.

"Look, not talking about me here, give it a rest, or I'll just leave."

"Please, as if you could go anywhere. Sei's probably off talking to her grandpa, and Jo's asleep, and I bet she wouldn't be happy if you left. Again." Amy pointed out, grinning victoriously.

"You're such a brat." Meg glared at Amy, who just chuckled.

"Do you know what will happen though?" Her mood seemed to switch instantly, as her serious tone took over her naturally happy features.

"They're going to pick Jo anyway, it doesn't matter."

"Meg…" Amy's voice softened.

"Look, Jo's not going to die, okay? Even if it is a fight to the death or whatever, she'll just win. She wouldn't listen to Sei if she told her she needed to die; she's not listened to her about way less important stuff." Meg laughed, though nervously. "Relax."

"You know, you're not the only one that's allowed to like Jo you know." Amy told her. "You make it seem like we'd just give her up. I don't know about Sei, but I'm concerned here too. I don't want Jo to die." Amy shrugged, then took a piece of candy from the box Meg had in front of her. "I mean, I know it's different between the two of you, but still. Much as she continually threatens me, growls at me, points her guns to my equipment and makes me fix that T.V. of hers, she's…" She swallowed the candy, her face grim. "It's hard to imagine doing stuff without her."

"I know what you mean…"Meg said quietly. They sat in a silence for a few minutes, the mood turning considerably south as they reflected on the facts that had presented themselves to them

"Meg, if I ask you something, you promise not to get mad at me?" Amy asked in that childish voice. Meg looked up at her, her face breaking into a smile for a second before returning to its thinking state.

"Sure."

"Do you love Jo?" What should have sounded childish and bratty under most circumstances was instead a very real and serious question, and Meg even found herself surprised at the lack of teasing quality to Amy's voice.

"Yeah." She smiled sadly as Jo's face came to her mind. Amy watched her with a sort of sadness Meg didn't think she had ever seen on the girl before

"It's my fault then. This whole thing started because I was teasing you. And then you left and Jo left and then we had to leave to come after you two, and now we're here." She shook her head. "This wouldn't have happened if I had just kept my big mouth shut."

"If it's your fault, it's my fault. I'm the one that ran away. If I hadn't left, Jo wouldn't have come chasing after me." The idea of the thing being her fault dawned on Meg quickly.

"Meg please. Any other night, it would have been Jo that left and you that went to your room and hid. So the role reversal was odd, whatever. Seriously though, this turned out the way everything does."

"Oh really, and just what is that?" Meg's voice had the tiniest hint of a threat in it.

"Jo's fighting to protect you." Amy told her truthfully. "And you know that she'd always do it for you, even if you do just leave without a trace. She'd chase you down, follow you to the end of the Earth just to make sure you're okay." She giggled. "It's cute to watch…" Meg's face went red, but she composed herself enough to not yell at Amy.

"Brat…" she muttered angrily.

"She doesn't know, does she?" Amy asked. "You haven't confessed your love or whatever, right?" Amy paused thoughtfully. "Are you going to tell her? Especially now, with this whole thing starting?"

"No." Meg sighed wistfully. "It's…not a big deal anyway."

"What the heck? What happened to the sappy romantic you are? Of course this is a big deal!" Amy stood up, slapping her hands on the table. "You love her! You gotta do something about it!" Meg watched her warily, leaning back.

"Ok, ok it's a big deal, I get it." She scowled. "Jo wouldn't get it though, even if I told her. She's never had love before."

"Puh-lease, what exactly do you call the two of you?"

"I don't know."

"Look, the point is, I can tell you love her. So can Sei, by the way." Meg's face went red.

"You could have told me that sooner, you know." She muttered angrily. Amy continued, a smirk being her only form of apology.

"Relax, you big baby. We aren't gonna do anything but…"She paused, grinning evilly. "Casually observe." Meg simply glared at the younger girl, who seemed to be back in her normal spirits.

"Casually observe, yeah right."

"Please, Sei won't let me do anything, so don't get all huffy about it and don't tell Jo."

"Why?"

"I don't want her mad at me. She's sleeping though, right?"

"Yeah. She seemed really tired outside, come to think of it…"Meg pondered.

"She's been awake for almost three days, you'd be tired too." Amy grinned sarcastically.

"Three days?!"

"Yeah. She was out yesterday looking for you, had to fight overnight, and before that, she was on a mission. And during that she was gone for a whole day." Amy giggled.

"Oh man, no wonder she got so tired standing around out there."

"Yeah, well, I'm surprised you're not knocked out next to her right now, your body clock must be thrown off or something. It's four in the morning." Amy yawned.

"Four o'clock?...I guess you're right then…" Meg said. Then, thanks to Amy she yawned as well.

"Since we've got some down time right now, I, for one, am going to go get some sleep. Are you satisfied with your question asking Meg?" Amy asked her, half-jokingly.

"You're such a brat." Meg sighed. "But I suppose you're right. I'm just…I'm happy that you care about Jo and what happens to her. Even if she doesn't really get it, you and Sei are our family. And I'm glad that you both are okay. Thanks for coming to get me. I'm sure Jo would want to tell you that." Meg smiled at her tiredly. Amy blushed, turning to walk away to hide it.

"I'm tired…" She muttered, embarrassed. Meg watched her walk down the hallway and heard the door slam and chuckled to herself. The fact that someone other than her cared about Jo was something that made her happy. Jo was worthy of all of those things. Love, happiness….those emotions shouldn't be something strange to her, something she had no idea of, and Meg was determined to teach her about it.

The main thing was that Sei and Amy now both knew about the fact that she was in love with Jo. Amy didn't seem to have a problem with it, and that eased Meg's fears, but she was worried as to what Sei would say. The unofficial leader of their group had a lot of power and knew how to wield it. There was always that chance that she wouldn't allow them to stay, or she could forbid Meg from every being together with Jo. Meg could see a little where she was coming from, after all Jo was her best fighter and she wouldn't want her distracted, or any less keen to focus on her job. She hoped though, that Sei would see it as she saw it- just a word to what was always going on, just something pushed a little farther and named with happiness and a blessing.

Thoughts like that though were for a different time, because, after all, it was four o'clock and Meg seriously felt the need to sleep, although, she grinned embarrassedly, that may had been her thought to only watch the older girl sleep soundly in front of her, nearly passed out to the world around. The room that they shared was a simple testament to the fact of Meg's need to be with Jo, whenever she could. Sighing tiredly, Meg got up and left the kitchen table too, the box of candy still laying there as the only reminder of what had taken place.

Sei was on the phone talking animatedly to her grandfather, her voice serious as she spoke.

"Grandfather, I know you told me to not get Jo involved, but circumstances have arisen and she has been entered in the tournament." Sei put a hand to her forehead, sighing complicatedly.

"Sei, I thought I told you specifically that we had already gotten someone in this tournament." Sei's grandfathers' voice was stern.

"I know, but it was due to an uncontrollable circumstance involving another of my teams' members." Sei paused, knowing what she said really would get her in trouble. "I allowed her to go as it is."

"How could you? That's a violation of Bai-Lan's code."

"I had no choice." Sei looked out the door to Meg and Jo's room. "Their lives are worth a great deal to me."

"My granddaughter, you have disobeyed me and your company. Tell me, was it that girl who helped us at that party that ran out?"

"Yes, it was Meg, sir."

"Ah…." The man sighed deeply, and Sei felt a pang of remorse. She knew that this would cause trouble, but she had wanted to trust in the fact that Bai-Lan did owe something to Meg in the fact that this would not become such a large issue, though by the silence coming from the other end of the phone, it sounded as if it was.

"You owe her a debt." Sei said quietly, reminding.

"I realize that." He waited a second, obviously still thinking. "We can't very well just let this go unchecked, but it does make sense now that your fighter ran out after her. I believe you said there was something between those two, correct?"

"Not particularly Grandfather, there is just a strong bond between the two of them. Jo's just very much in tune with Meg's safety and well-being."

"Mmm." He hummed quietly into the phone. "This is what we will do then. Considering my debt to your group, Jo will continue to fight in the tournament, making her way to the top if she can. I will discuss the idea of possibly using Jo as our infiltrator to the tournament with the rest of the board. I can do no more as to what the others votes will say, but my debt will be paid by allowing this confusion to continue. Make sure that no one knows about this inside the tournament."

"Grandfather please. You know Jo is the best that we have." Sei's voice was nearly pleading, something unusual for her to do.

"That may be, but I have no use for a soldier that does not follow orders. Loyalty to one's friends is a completely separate matter compared to loyalty to one's superiors." Her grandfather spoke with the command of the leader Sei knew him to be. "I will inform you of our decision." There was a pause for a minute as Sei realized that nothing had really been accomplished. "My granddaughter, I know that this must be hard for you, but your duty to your family comes first."

"I…very well, Grandfather. I will wait for your answer." Sei spoke quietly, humbled. She hung up the phone with a soft click and left the room, going to her own bedroom. Sitting on the bed, she put her face in her hands. The mess around her was so conflicting, Sei, for once, didn't know what to do. There was no help from Bai-Lan, and Amy, Meg, and Jo couldn't do anything either. Waiting, it seemed, would be the only choice. Fighting, Sei reasoned, was something she was going to have to do on her own.

Meg had realized that she was probably the only one awake, seeing as Amy had gone to bed, the light was off in the cockpit and Sei's door was shut, and Jo had gone to sleep earlier. The clock on her table said it 4:23, and she could see the bit of light start come over the horizon and through the window. She yawned widely, stretching. It had been a long day, after all, not only had she run away, she had got caught up in the wrong crowd, almost had to fight to the death, and was saved by the one person she realized she was in love with. That was the thing that shocked her the most. She was in love. The feeling felt so right, so complete, that Meg didn't know how she couldn't have seen it before.

She sat on the edge of her bed, watching Jo quietly, smiling. All in all, it had been a good day.

Jo slept through several confusing and conflicting dreams. Exhaustion had overtaken her, not only physically, but mentally as well. The sudden onset of emotions had overwhelmed her, and sleeping like the dead seemed like a good idea to make it go away, although it didn't really work. Meg had shown up several times in unsettling dreams, along with several images of death and destruction. Combined, they confused her and she only pressed herself more into sleep in order to try and get rid of them. Not one for nightmares, she never woke up with a scream or chills, but rather furrowed her brows and focused on something else. The last one she had disturbed her the most, in it, she was holding onto Meg, with Jango behind her and her Desert Eagles knocked aside, out of her reach. She could tell she was losing her grip, but she could also tell that something was coming up behind them and Jango couldn't take care of it. In a desperate attempt, she lunged for one of her guns, letting Meg go, figuring she could snap back in time to catch her. She was wrong though, in her dream, and she watched helplessly as Meg fell. That time, she woke up with a gasp, heart pounding, and she could feel beads of sweat trickling down her face. Looking around wildly, she noticed she was still alone in the room. Her gaze immediately shifted to Meg' bed, which was empty. Struggling with herself as to not get up and wildly search for Meg, she laid back down, trying to control her breathing. She laid there for minutes, attempting to get in control.

Meg walked in then, and even though Jo didn't open her eyes, she still knew it was the girl who walked in, as the scent of her perfume wafted across to her nose. Jo sighed, feeling a little more at peace. She heard the bed creak as Meg laid down on it, and for a second Jo felt panic come back to her.

"Meg?" Her voice asked sleepily.

"Jo? Are you awake?" Meg's voice came through Jo's fog and she opened her eyes blearily.

"I'm not asleep."

"You've been awake this whole time? Jo, that's not good."

"I slept, just not well." Jo closed her eyes again. "I had dreams." There was a pause as Meg digested the information through her tired mind

"I didn't know you had dreams, Jo…" She muttered, yawning.

"Sometimes."

"They were bad dreams, then?" Meg asked, as she changed into her pajamas. Jo thought about it. She dreamt about losing Meg. That was definitely a bad thing.

"I didn't dream about good things."

"I'm sorry…" Meg said, slipping under the covers.

"Dreams don't come true, right Meg?" Jo asked her, a new thought coming to her mind.

"Sometimes they do, Jo." The confirmation from Meg gave Jo the reason to ask her next question.

"Can you….stay with me, then?"

"What?"

"Stay with me tonight." Jo said, even though it wasn't really nighttime anymore.

"Jo, why? I'm right here."

"I don't want to lose you again." Jo said, sleep half affecting her.

"Oh my god, Jo, was that what your dream was about? You don't have to worry about that Jo, I won't leave you."

"It's…not like that." Jo said quietly, unable to say exactly what it was she knew. She didn't want Meg over there, because while sleeping, she would be unable to do anything if someone quick enough came in and took her. Amy had told her on more than one occasion that she slept soundly when she was asleep, and Sei laughed in agreement with Meg that when she fell asleep, she'd wake up when she wanted to. And what if she couldn't wake up to get Meg if anything happened?

"Jo, what's wrong then?"

"You're not close enough." Jo said, settling on something that seemed right.

Meg on the other hand, nearly went stiff with shock. Jo had the habit of saying things that, to her, sounded completely normal, but to everyone else, was a touching gesture or thought. Here was another one, Meg thought, and she was going to have to deal with it knowing that when Jo said it, it wasn't out of the same feelings Meg had.

"You want me closer?" Meg asked her, trying to get completely sure. Jo rolled over and looked at the remaining space on her bed, and Meg understood exactly what Jo meant.

"It'll be close." She said, turning back, her eyes now watching Meg. Earlier outside she had stayed close to Meg and that had seemed to work-nothing got remotely close to Meg. Jo didn't think that Meg would care; after all, she practically did it all day, latching onto Jo or staying extremely close so that Jo could barely pay attention to whatever else was going on. Meg distracted her, she had a way of talking quietly so Jo had to listen carefully, she did have a certain smell that Jo found herself liking more than the blood she managed to inhale everywhere else, and that red hair was always somehow brushing against her. So this time they weren't walking around; not a big deal, right? Jo figured this as Meg's train of thought went on a completely opposite mind track.

It seemed incredibly cruel to Meg that the day she realized her love, she was asked to sleep in the same bed with them. Being so close to Jo, of not even her own volition was something Meg didn't think she'd ever get the chance to experience, but of course now Jo had decided that it was the time to have Meg as close as possible. Not that Meg really minded that much, of course, just….the feelings coursing through her suggested that more than sleeping could be accomplished with the situation Jo was looking for. However, Meg sighed greatly before getting up and going over to Jo. This was manageable, and if Jo needed her, than damn it, Meg was gonna be there.

"It's fine Jo. You sure this is what you want?" Meg asked her, watching amusedly as Jo merely yawned in her direction and threw down the covers. "I'll take that as a yes then." She giggled, climbing in. Jo grunted as Meg nearly laid down on top of her, but breathed evenly as she settled in.

Meg noticed that Jo was right, the bed was small, and the only way she was comfortable was if she pressed herself against Jo, wrapping her arms around her. Closing them gently, she breathed in the familiar scent of Jo; all of the smoke and gunpowder, the leather, the faint scent of sweat and city that mingled with the cleanliness of the sheets and wrapped around in Jo in a sort of blanket. In love or not, that smell was intoxicating and Meg breathed it in with the happiness of a child with her favorite doll, which was not too far off the mark.

Jo didn't mind the fact that Meg was nearly on top of her and could possibly end up that way during her slumber. Already she was falling more and more asleep as Meg's body wrapped around her like a very warm, breathing blanket that mumbled little things when she slept and for some reason laughed and altogether, Jo realized, was an extremely comforting thing to have. Thinking about why the thought never crossed her mind before, Jo simply fell into the embrace and let sleep overcome her. This time, she didn't dream, though in the darkness of her mind that familiar smell wore its way through the night, leading on into tomorrow. Jo looked forward, for once, to waking up with the sun in her eyes. If she turned, so slightly, she'd wake up to blue skies instead. And blue skies held the promise, to Jo, that her fears were false. She could easily win; after all, there was no reason for her to lose. Meg was here, safe and easily able to be taken care of. And Jo knew she'd take care of that.

**Hope you all enjoyed this. Next chapter will bring us some of the good stuff! Anyone looking for a little Jo butt-kicking action? (lol sounds like an action figure)**

**Until next time! :)**


	7. Hot Stuff

**I realize I have been away for three weeks...my apologies to you all. A nasty bout of the flu coupled with my dad losing his job made the past couple of weeks really hectic, however, in return, I give you the longest chapter yet. This one is over 10,000 words, but I didn't think that I could spilt it evenly enough to make it into two. Sorry if the length bothers you, please let me know if you don't enjoy it. Thank you all so much for your reviews and hits, they continually make me day, and I really love writing this not only for myself but for you guys too.**

**As always, any comments/concerns are welcome. Please enjoy the much-awaited(hopefully :p) Chapter 7: Hot Stuff**

It was around noon before anyone woke up, the night had been long and taxing and all the girls needed their sleep. Amy ventured out from her room to find the trailer quiet. Peering over down the hall to where's Sei room was, Amy was surprised to see the door still shut. Usually their leader was up before all of them, on top of the latest things going on and supplying them with whatever information was necessary in order to carry out the mission du jour.

Normally, the only response to that would be to effectively find the other girl and suddenly, surprisingly, and annoyingly wake her up. Amy laughed out loud just thinking of the look she could get from Sei by simply doing a number of things, like slamming a door, or even, just to mess with her, find of the weapons that Jo used laying around and make a noise with that. That thought quickly left as Amy realized that it would probably wake Jo up first, considering the improbable connection she had to any and all things torture related.

This brought about a new mind track. Jo, of course shared a room with Meg, and, due to last night's conversation, in which Amy thought she acted incredibly kind and sweet to Meg, rendered a necessary embarrassment/fight/annoyance towards the girl- just so she knew it was a one-time deal only. Sneaking evilly around, she crept towards the door that was gently closed over, hiding whatever scene could be lying inside. With one hand, Amy pushed the door open slowly, and with the other, reached for the camera she had with her.

"Oh yeah, this'll show you Meg…" Amy muttered to no one in particular as she saw the scenario in front of her.

The two girls were currently sleeping unaware in Jo's bed. Jo's head faced toward Amy, her arm hanging off the side of the bed as she slept on her stomach. The reason why she had to sleep on her stomach was obvious as you looked past onto Meg, whose body was nearly laid out on top of Jo's, her arm reaching over her waist and holding Jo as one would with a very small cute puppy. Frankly, the two of them looked adorable. Amy was surprised at how peaceful Jo looked while sleeping. However, that thought gave her no reason to abandon her previous of idea of blackmailing Meg, which seemed only like a greater idea as she saw the other bed in the room, meaning that this was, in fact, not something that always occurred. Lifting the camera up, she swung it to her face when all of a sudden it stopped. A cold grip latched onto her arm and Amy turned around meekly only to face Sei standing over her with the most exasperated face she had ever seen.

"Amy, really?" She asked her. "I didn't think you'd resort to…oh." Sei's voice stopped as she took in the scene, which had slightly changed since Jo had rolled over and now had Meg's arm draped across her stomach while Meg's head was buried in the crook of her neck.

"Yeah, Sei, what was it you were saying?" Amy asked her teasingly.

"You had no good interests while trying to take a picture." Sei said, lifting up the camera and taking several shots. "I do."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Shhh! Do you really want Jo to wake up?" Sei said worriedly as Amy's voice got louder.

"Oh, I see how it is. Look at you Sei, getting all up in the blackmail issues. I didn't think you had it in you."

"Blackmail?!" Sei looked embarrassed. "Why would I take blackmail photos?"

"Then why are you taking them?" Amy arched her eyebrow in sarcastic attack.

"Because…." Sei stopped embarrassed. Scowling she left the doorway, Amy trailing after her. "It's…something we can show them when they get together. Don't you think it'll be nice?"

"Sei, the time for joking about helping others is over. You totally just made that up off the top of your head."

"I…I did not!" Sei stammered. Amy rolled her eyes.

"Liar liar pants on fire." She stuck her tongue out. "Better hope I don't tell Jo or Meg."

"I'll tell them you were there as well and that it was your idea." Sei said simply, grinning at Amy. "Who do you think they'll believe?"

Amy considered it for a moment, and then quickly realized she would lose the argument on that set of points. "Fine, fine, be that way." She pouted. "But whatever you plan to do, I want to know about!"

"Very well then. But, you keep your mouth shut to Meg and Jo about it, got it?"

"Ok, I said I would already, jeez." Amy said, striding past her into the kitchen. "Hey, I'm hungry. Where's Kyo?"

Sei looked around, as if Amy could have missed the boy that fed her, which was improbable to say the least. "He's coming, I think…" Sei thought back.

"What do you mean, you think? Some of us have to eat around here. I'm starving." Amy complained, pouting. "Oh, look! Candy!" She made a mad dive for the box that was lying on the table from last night.

"Amy, don't…" Sei was too late, as the other girl was already cramming food in her mouth. "Eat…that…" She sighed, sitting down across from her.

"Ah, much better..."Amy laughed as she settled back. "Seriously, though, where is he? If we gotta stay out here for however long this tournament takes, I want some food."

"I think I told him where we were going…"Sei said, thinking out loud.

"You better have!" Amy glared. "I won't be the only one who doesn't like it."

"Yes, I know how...picky you all get when you don't get to eat." Sei said, exasperated. "If you want, I'll try to cook." She suggested. Amy looked at her as if she had grown another head.

"No, thanks." She said, in an almost scared tone of voice. "I'll wait." Sei gave her a look that clearly suggested that she was not happy with Amy about her reaction.

"I think I've gotten better actually." Sei pondered.

"I doubt that. You cooking is more dangerous than Jo watching Meg get hurt." Amy said. Sei gave a little laugh before she stopped, realizing how insulting Amy just was.

"Very funny, Amy." She gave her a look, sighing. "Fine. Starve for all I care."

"Please, you wouldn't let me starve…." Amy laughed.

"I would." They both turned to see Meg standing in the entryway, hair messed up from sleeping, eyes barely open even in her early morning attack on Amy.

"Meg. Good morning." Sei said pleasantly, as the girl shuffled over to the table and threw herself on the seat next to Amy. She grunted in response as she picked up the now empty candy box.

"Amy, you ate it all?"

"I was hungry!" She protested. Meg simply banged her head on the table in exhaustion.

"Did you not sleep well?" Sei asked, concerned.

"No, I bet she slept just fine…"Amy said, in a teasing tone all too familiar to Meg, who turned her head ever so slightly to stare the girl down in a menacing glare.

Meg's mouth opened as if she was going to say something, but she shut it for a second, obviously thinking of a way to get out of saying something that could possibly be incriminating. Meg thought, panickedly, the reason why Amy had such a smirk on her face. It was too soon after being awake to have possibly done anything embarrassing…unless, of course-! Meg pushed that thought away quickly. No way would Amy look in her and Jo's room while they were sleeping. That would have even been too far for the girl.

"I take it we have no food then…" Meg said in defeat, changing the subject.

"That would be the case. I'll go call Kyohei, I'm sure he'll be willing to come under the circumstances." Sei said, trying to be helpful. Amy and Meg both looked at her, then turned away sighing.

"He's not gonna come, is he?" Meg asked Amy.

"Yep."

The two sat in silence as they waited for Sei to get back. She returned with a sour look on her face as she sat back down. After both Meg and Amy sufficiently stared her down, she nodded in defeat and they slumped on the ground.

"I'll go grocery shopping…"Sei said after a bit. "At least that way we'll have some food."

"Just order some takeout and keep it in the fridge," Meg waved her hand around. "We'll just heat it up or something."

"What about breakfast?" Amy asked her teasingly. "There's no way that huge stomach of yours can make it until lunchtime!" She laughed.

"You brat! What the hell? I'm not fat!" Meg fired back, immediately angry at Amy's words, which was exactly what Amy wanted.

"I wonder if Jo thinks you're fat…" She said in a sing-song voice. Meg's face turned red as she spat out a retort towards the other girl.

Sei watched with a hint of amusement on her face. The two fought like cats and dogs, and she didn't know if they were worse than trying to deal with Jo and her violent nature. As she watched Meg clock Amy over the head and the girl subsequently start crying, though her tears, as Sei knew, were completely fake, Sei realized that they weren't as bad as Jo. They were very, very, close though.

"If you two would get ready, we could leave and get some food." Sei interrupted. They stopped in mid-action.

"If you're going out, just go kidnap Kyo." Amy suggested.

"I am not going to do that."

"We can't all leave though, Jo's still asleep…" Meg added in.

"We could leave and you could just…keep Jo company…" Amy laughed, then stopped as Meg glared at her.

"Actually…"Sei said, as Meg groaned. She knew what Sei was going to say. "That's a good idea. Meg, stay here and make sure nothing happens to Jo. Amy, go get dressed." She directed, as the younger girl bolted, laughing all the way down the hallway.

"Sei, can't I come with you?" Meg asked.

"I thought you would want to stay with Jo?"

"I do, I do, it's just…"

"Look, the two of you can go out if you want, but stay together. And no getting yourself kidnapped."Sei smiled. "I won't make you stay here all day. I'm pretty sure Amy will have wished she stayed anyway. We have to stop by Leo's and tell him to fix up Jango, attempt to find Kyohei, not to mention I'm sure Amy will make me buy her some sort of technology infused playtoy if she's lucky."

"Thanks Sei. I'm pretty sure Jo would have gotten fed up if you told her to stay in all day."

"I doubt it Meg. Not if she had you to spend time with." Sei smiled kindly. Meg blushed at her words.

"Sei, really it's nothing, ok? There's nothing going on between us…"She trailed off, embarrassed. "First Amy, now you."

"Come on, don't compare me to Amy now." Sei laughed. "I'm fine with it Meg. In fact, I'm almost happy to see something finally happen. Ever since you two came to work with me, all you ever seem to do is that-working. It's nice to see I haven't stripped you of your feelings." Sei looked down, now embarrassed at her words.

"Please, you know that would never be true. I'm happy to be here. I like spending time with you."

"And Amy?" Sei teased.

"Yeah, even that brat." Meg smiled. "I hope you're happy too Sei. I know I cause a lot of trouble for you."

"I had to deal with Amy all on my own before you and Jo showed up, trust me, it's not a big deal. You two are tame compared to her."

"I doubt that…"Meg smiled, thinking about the near arguments Jo and Sei had gotten into, or all they trouble they caused.

"It's fine." They sat in an awkward silence, both knowing there was an elephant in the room.

Meg fiddled with her hair, worried as Sei watched between her and the hallway, hoping Amy would show up so she wouldn't have to explain.

Sei didn't want to tell Meg that she didn't know what was going on. She didn't want to be that voice of uncertainty that she had for so long abolished in her household. Everyone knew everything. There were no secrets- frankly, they lived too close to one another to keep anything hidden for long, unless it was shoved somewhere in the depths of their rooms. Even Kyohei knew most of the going-on's in the life of the girls; and what he didn't get, Amy would crudely explain to him.

The silence from Sei seemed to confirm Meg's thoughts, but, rather than make the girl more uncomfortable than Meg knew her to be, she simply sat and twiddled her thumbs, listening to her stomach growl. She knew the answer to the question simply by Sei's uncharacteristic methods of address-instead of her normal powerful pose, she simply sat and waited like a kid who took the last cookie from the cookie jar, which in Meg's mind should have been what Amy looked like instead of the now fully dressed, completely awake person who came bounding down the hallway.

"Sei! Let's go!" Sei snapped to her, her face grateful for the release of the situation.

"Yes, fine." She looked back at Meg, barely meeting her eyes. Meg simply nodded, and Sei's face broke into a small smile. "There's money for you two if you go out later. Make sure you're home before the tournament starts."

"Like there would be a way Jo would forget about it." Amy scoffed from behind Sei. "An opportunity to beat someone up is never wasted on that girl." She sighed, throwing her hands in the air. Sei rolled her eyes and then dragged Amy away from Meg and the table.

"We'll be back…"Sei threw over her shoulder as Meg heard the door slam. For a few minutes, she sat in silence before staring at the clock on the wall.

It was around noon, and Meg laughed. It was unusual for anyone in their household to sleep this late, even under the circumstances, and she thought that it might be a really good time to wake Jo up, after all, she was hungry and she needed to eat. The thought of dragging Jo along with her was simply a plus to her growling stomach though.

That, and the fact that Jo simply looked adorable right after she woke up.

With that thought placed in her mind, a faint red blush on her cheeks, she slowly got up and made her way to the hallway, but stopped as she saw the sight in front of her. There was Jo, in all her morning glory, her hair askew and eyes barely open as she shuffled down the hallway in that too big t-shirt she always wore. Jo looked up in Meg's direction as she heard her footsteps, and she offered a grunt as she made her way towards her. Meg smiled, and waited for Jo to meet her.

"Jo! Did you sleep well?" Meg asked as they made their way back to the kitchen. Jo turned to her, annoyed. In her opinion, it was much too early to ever discuss the idea of talking. However, Jo's eyes could see the worry on Meg's face, and in the early morning her mind ran wild and the thought of the fact that Meg's emotions were always so easy to see, they were always right there, but no back to the topic. Jo shook her head to clear her mind, but then realized what she did.

"Ah…I slept fine." She corrected, as Meg's face turned from its worried state to relief. There was a silence before Jo thought it would be appropriate to ask how Meg slept as well. She had no idea whether Meg was uncomfortable the whole night in that cramped little bed. Just because she thought it was comfortable didn't mean Meg did. "Did you sleep well?"

Jo watched as Meg's face went a little red, but she didn't know exactly what that meant. "Uh, yeah, I slept…really well, actually." Meg smiled up at her. "It was the best night sleep I've gotten in a while." She spoke quietly, afraid her honesty would be too much.

She had nothing to fear though, as Jo simply nodded her head in agreement.

"Where are Sei and Amy?" Jo asked, picking her head up to look around.

"They left. We, uh…have no food." Meg said nervously. Jo turned to stare her in the eyes.

"No food? As in, we have no food, or you and Amy ate all our food no food?" Jo asked.

"When did we do that?" Meg asked, affronted. Jo simply continued to look at her, eyes burning. "Ok, fine, but come on Jo! It was one time!"

"It was one time that I didn't get to eat because, as someone said, they were so hungry they were about to die."

"I think that was Amy…"Meg added in, sighing. "Anyway, we have no food. And no, I didn't eat it. I haven't eaten since dinner last night." Meg looked down at her stomach, as if she expected it to be smaller. In proper comedic timing of course, Jo's stomach made a very loud and distinct gurgling noise and she looked down at her stomach as if embarrassed by the fact that it did such a thing. Meg tore her eyes off her own belly and stared at Jo's.

"Jo, was that your stomach?" Meg asked. Jo, now seemingly over her previous embarrassment looked up at Meg's face with a blank expression.

"No." Jo penetrating stare almost dared Meg to contradict her, which Meg wouldn't of course, knowing all too well Jo's pride when it came to such things.

"Oh, ok then…"Her voice was just barely teasing, but she made a face as her stomach growled in response. "Can we go eat?" She asked, in a pitiable voice that made even Jo realize the fact that Meg could, in fact, use her emotions to her advantage so well. Jo watched her for a few minutes, as her expression got more and more pathetic, until Jo was almost bursting inside with the need to tell Meg that she looked, in fact, ridiculous.

Of course they could go eat, frankly, Jo thought it was a waste of Meg's efforts to beg like that. She should have known by now that Jo would make sure that she was well-fed and taken care of. How long had she done it when it was just the two of them on their own, fighting for survival n the desolate streets of New York City?

"Yeah…"Jo sighed, getting up from the table, as if taking Meg out to eat was the last thing she wanted to do. "Let's go."

"Jo, we don't have to…"Meg said, misinterpreting Jo's actions.

"I'm…hungry too." Jo admitted, looking over her shoulder at the girl, whose face lit up.

"Ok then!" Meg's face broke out into a smile, and Jo's face, though unrecognizable to anyone, relaxed just a little. That smile was there, plain as day, on Meg's face. Meg was happy, all was well.

They left the trailer to surprising quietness, as all of the combatants seemed to left the area. Walking with little aim, they wandered the unfamiliar district until Meg grabbed Jo's arm and wheeled her around, so that they both faced what looked, to Jo, like a giant…screaming…large…overdone…horrifyingly tacky…place to eat. Meg, of course, thought it was cute, which she wasted no time in telling Jo so.

"Jo look! Doesn't that look like fun?!" Her face and voice were full of hope and Jo looked at her gauging what she should say. She quickly decided that saying it looked like the least amount of fun she had ever seen in her entire life was not the appropriate answer.

"No…"she tested tentatively. Meg's face fell.

"Oh…"

"But…." Jo threw out, remembering her quietly growling stomach that was sure to make a much louder reappearance soon, and that they were probably not going to find another place anytime in the near future, considering that nothing really could compete with the ungodly mass in front of her, it was better to take what she could get. "It'll do." She sighed, stepping in front of Meg to go inside, holding the door open as she peered around the entrance, almost as if something would be lurking there.

The only thing lurking was a waitress, who jumped at the sight of Jo's head peering around the corner. Meg followed in behind Jo, her mind stuck on the fact that Jo had held the door open for her, which really wasn't as big a deal as it seemed, but to Meg, whose hunger had kicked in what Jo called an "overactive imagination"- it was a kind gesture that only Jo would do for her.

They sat a table underneath what looked to be a giant lit up squid, as to which Jo remembered a certain other squid like creature that had also been lit up, although the bullets from Jango Jo had fired into that thing were far larger than the twinkling fluorescent lights outlining it. Meg looked up to see what Jo was staring at, and when she saw it was the squid, was about to ask Jo why it was so interesting when she heard a small mumble that sounded a lot like "dammed tentacle beast" followed by Jo's leery gaze switching from the ceiling to the menu in front of her.

"Are you two ready to order?" The waitress asked, this time standing close to Meg in order to remain on the opposite end of Jo. Meg looked a Jo, who nodded.

"I'll have the triple-decker fun burger please!" Meg said, with a huge smile on her face. The waitress stared for a minute before writing it down, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe the amount of food the girl ordered. She looked hesitantly at Jo, who glanced down at the menu for three seconds before looking at her with an expressionless face.

"Give me….the hot wings. Hottest sauce you have."

"You mean the Face-Melter?' The waitress asked, trying to say politely that they were probably not what Jo wanted. Meg looked curiously at Jo when she ordered, wondering why she would pick such a typical meal in a not so typical place.

"Yeah. Whatever." Jo shrugged.

"You, uh, have to sign a waiver." The waitress threw in.

"Fine." Jo said, handing her the menu. With terrified glances at both Meg and Jo, the waitress scampered away.

They watched her for a few seconds until Meg shook her head laughing and Jo's attention shifted from the lady to the red-head giggling in front of her.

"What's so funny?"

"I don't know actually…."Meg said, thinking between her laughs. "That lady just cracks me up, that's all. Hey, Jo, why'd you order those wings?"

It was a simple question and Jo answered it in the fashion. "Because I'm hungry." Meg paused for a moment, then remembered it was Jo she was talking to, and retracted any possible reaction from her mind, because frankly, she was hungry too, and she was glad that Jo didn't ask her-

"Why'd you get that huge burger?" Jo wondered, as she watched one get delivered to a larger sized gentleman sitting a few tables down. Meg turned to see what looked like the biggest burger in her life sat down on the table, and gulped. It looked incredibly appetizing, and she figured that was only because she was incredibly hungry, but no, another look only served to inform her that she would devour that monstrosity any day.

"Because…I'm hungry?" Her voice came out questioning.

"Are you asking me?" Jo said, confused.

"No, no. It's because I'm hungry." Meg said, as to which Jo simply nodded. The burger was huge, but Jo knew that Meg's appetite was huge as well. As long as she ate it, Jo didn't care.

The waitress brought back the waiver to which Jo scrawled her name on, not caring at all about the large group of people who were standing around nervously waiting to see if she would actually go through with it. Meg thought it was weird too, then again, Jo was not exactly normal, and if she wanted to eat waiver spicy hot wings, then let her at it. Besides, Meg thought with a smile, maybe it would give Jo a kickstart to help her later on that night when….

No, no thinking about fighting now. Now was a time to think, if she dared, she was kind of, sort of, in a really liberal freethinking way, out on a date with Jo. And that was a better thought than the idea of that burger coming towards her in a few minutes.

Jo waited for her food, still hungry and still not understanding the fuss. The plate came along with a crowd of onlookers and people shoving their faces in the table.

"I didn't know this came with idiots…"She murmured under her breath. All she was trying to do was spend a little time with Meg, get some food, make sure everything was okay, and here were all these people getting in her personal bubble. Meg was the only one allowed inside, last time Jo checked, and she was not happy with the current situation, but she was hungry and there was the food.

"Jo, you gonna eat or what?" Meg asked, after the crowd had stood around watching Jo stare at the food. She looked at Meg, her face showing the signs of daze that meant she was thinking about something. "You want something different?"

"No…" In all honesty Jo wanted a completely different restaurant, but then again, Meg seemed extremely content, though Jo could tell she was getting antsy but that was what happened anytime she hadn't had food in over a period longer than about four hours or so. "I'll just wait until you get yours." She spoke quietly, hoping that the crowd gawking around her would disappear as they got tired of waiting, however Jo groaned as the humongous burger was sat down in front of Meg.

"Aw Jo, that's so sweet of you!" Meg gushed, excited by Jo's simple admission. She picked up the burger, still excited, and jammed it in her mouth. Jo watched, her face like the one she wore when watching a horror movie for the sight was something in itself. Finally accepting the fact that she was going to have to eat in front of everyone else, she picked up a wing and took a bite, noticing everyone's eyes, even Meg's on hers.

She chewed, swallowed, and paused for a moment. "She's gone into shock…" Someone whispered from the audience. Meg watched, concerned.

"Jo, are you okay?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Jo said after a minute. She reached around the table to Meg's side, where she picked up a small bottle and unscrewed the cap. Then, in one swift motion, she dumped the entire bottle onto the wings. Satisfied, she resumed eating.

"Did…did she just dump hot sauce on there?" The same voice asked. Jo turned to the crowd glaring. She had had enough of them, and it was easy to see in her red penetrating eyes.

"Would you guys just leave already?" Meg complained. "We're trying to eat here!" She took a drink of her soda, the burger half gone in front of her.

"You two... I mean, that stuff…that's not possible!" The crowd murmured their disbelief at the strange pair in front of them.

"Look, just leave. Jo doesn't like people getting in her personal space!" She huffed. Jo snorted and choked on the wings, causing the crowd to immediately stop paying attention to Meg and going back to Jo.

"Are you ok?!" Jo glared at them before wiping her mouth with a napkin, and curtly nodding. They seemed to sigh collectively as Meg fumed on the other side of the table.

"Get out of here!" She yelled, chucking fries at them. "Scram!"

Needless to say, they left hurriedly, muttering angrily to themselves about the rudeness and yet the utter amazement the two girls had.

"Meg…"Jo sighed. "Can we leave?"

Meg stared angrily around the restaurant, agreeing with Jo. "Yeah, let's get out of here." She huffed getting up from the table and dragging Jo with her, not really angry but using it as an excuse to get close to Jo. Since her stomach was full, she was now ready to focus on the next goal- get as close to Jo as humanly possible until Jo realized she was in love with her and they lived happily ever after. Short to say, it was a long term goal.

Jo waited three seconds as Meg got ready to leave, knowing by now that, yes, there she went… she wouldn't waste the food, and in one huge mouthful, she swallowed the last of the burger with no apparent ill ease, tugged on Jo's hand affectionately and smiled as if to brag, and then dragged Jo behind her as they walked out of the restaurant.

Jo didn't mind at all, her mind allowed her the normal comfort and went back to the hot wings, which even with the extra hot sauce were not really that hot at all, and that they should had given her a refund, but that was fine because right now the air smelled like hot sauce and burger and the city and…well…it mainly smelled like Meg. Which Jo found herself liking more than the food she had just consumed.

A scream rang through the air and on instinct Jo's had tightened around Meg as she pulled her to her body, one arm reaching for the gun strapped to her waist. She drew it, ready at the alert. Meg breathed, panicky into Jo, and she didn't have to look up to know that Jo was watching carefully. More screams rang out, and Meg poked her head up to stare at Jo, whose watchful glare shifted to Meg.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing, but there are people in trouble Jo."

"I don't care." Jo said quickly, her eyes dating back and forth between Meg and the steadily growing commotion down the street.

"What? Jo how can you say that? There are innocent lives in danger." Meg backed up, looking strangely at Jo.

"It doesn't matter. You and I are leaving." Jo said, her voice thick. There was some sort of feeling in her chest that just made her want to get away as quickly as possible. Meg was the only one that mattered, she had to fight later, and she couldn't risk getting injured or hurt, or worse, having Meg get injured or hurt, because that was something that was unacceptable in any form.

"No way Jo; we've got to try and help." Meg fought. It was unlike Jo to not want to fight. "Why don't you want to?"

"Because right now there's no reason for me to." Jo said quietly. Meg watched Jo for a minute before realizing she was completely serious. It was like the time when they sat at the top of the waterpark, watching silently the sun over the water. And Jo had said that she fought for her, for Meg. That was one of the happiest days of her life. That memory was one she knew she would never forget.

"I remember Jo, that day." Meg told her, cautious. "I want to help though. Can we try, please? I want to fight for more than just ourselves."

"I know. You threw French fries at those people back there. And you told me that. I remember." Jo did, in fact, remember that day. It was before they came to Tokyo, back when the streets of New York City were their home. They had pulled off some heist or something, though not before Jo had killed some man who got in their way. It was necessary, though for Meg, traumatizing. Jo watched interestedly as she cried, and eventually tried to console her. But it was useless. Nothing Jo could do or say would make it better. She went out and got them money, got them food…all of it seemed to make Meg cry more.

"_I don't get it…"Jo said one day as they hid in their current location. "Why are you so upset?"_

"_Because that man…is dead. And it's our fault."_

"_I was the one that killed him, not you. He had to die in order for us to live." Jo explained rationally._

"_That doesn't matter!" Meg whirled around and Jo was taken aback at the anger displayed on her face. "What kind of lives are we leading, running around doing this? We're murderers!" she spat out, disgusted. _

"_We're surviving." Jo told her. "If we have to kill to survive, then it means we're stronger than the rest."_

"_I don't care about that." Meg's voice was dejected, and sounded as if she was about to cry again._

"_I do. We have to be strong if we want to live."_

"_Maybe you do, but not me." Meg said, nervously. "I'm…not like you Jo. And I know you don't remember your past and I'm not blaming you for it but…I will never be like you. I'm never going to be as strong as you."_

_It was then that the unspoken agreement was set. Jo would fight. Jo would take the responsibility of shooting and killing and Meg would be there simply because she was. Meg was worried though, afraid that Jo would take all the weight and decide it was too much and leave. Meg would die if Jo left. The girl was the only tie to civilization she had, the only reminder of her past life._

"_You don't have to be as strong as me." Jo said, after a few seconds. "I'll take care of you. After all…we have to be even, don't we?" Meg smiled at the words and hugged Jo, who sat in the embrace._

"_We can fight for more than just ourselves one day, can't we Jo? We can make up for all these things." She whispered in Jo's ear. _

_Jo found herself nodding along, willing to do anything to make the girl around her happy._

"I'm surprised you still remember that…" Meg said, embarrassed. Jo looked at her and nodded.

"I do." She sighed, putting her Desert Eagle away. Meg's face fell. "Come on. Let's go see what's going on."

Meg grabbed Jo's hand and dragged her along, both of them running towards uncertainty, pulled by the bonds they had to each other.

They arrived on the scene to find a giant mechanized animal fighting several citizens. RAPT was nowhere in sight, and the flames bursting out of several of the buildings led Jo to realize that she would have to take care of it now.

"What the hell is that?" Meg asked, hiding behind Jo, who was not surprised, but rather pleased that Meg wasn't rushing off to fight. This would be an easy way for her to get hurt or captured.

"It's…"Jo studied it for a moment, then pulled out both her guns and jumped into the alley, taking Meg with her, who screamed a little at Jo's sudden movements.

"Jo, what the heck?!"

"It's…another one."

"Another what?"

"Another dammed tentacle beast…" Jo muttered angrily. "There's a pilot in it though. It doesn't move like the ones with-"

"The glowing brains, got it. Wait! So all you got to do is lure out the pilot and then wham!" Meg said, excited. "We got this one Jo."

"Sounds to me like I'm doing all the work." Jo said. Meg's face fell. Would her fear finally come true?

"Well, what can I do?" She asked, tentative.

"Nothing." Jo turned back to look at her. "Go find a hiding place, and stay there. I don't want you getting hurt."

"I won't get hurt-"

"Or kidnapped." Jo added in as an extra bonus. Meg couldn't really argue there. With there being a pilot, the fact that someone would take Meg as ransom was all too likely, sad as she was to admit it.

"Ok fine. I'll go leave, but Jo make sure you stay safe." Meg ordered. Jo nodded before turning to head off into the fray.

"You stay safe too. I'll find you ok? Just stay where you are."

"I know Jo." Meg hugged her tight, realizing it was going to be the first they were separated since the incident from just the other night. Meg promised herself that she would remain safe for Jo, because she would do anything for her, and right now she needed to make sure she got somewhere where she could safely think and worry about the silver haired warrior heading into battle with some unknown enemy.

Jo awkwardly reached out and patted Meg's shoulder. She too, realized the meaning of their separation and, although unable to say exactly what it was she was feeling, she wanted, no, needed, Meg to know that she remembered her saying they didn't always need to fight for themselves. Because Jo never fought for herself.

Gunshots erupted around them and Jo pushed Meg out of the way before running out into the middle of the street, eyes ablaze with fury. Shooting off several rounds, she sized up the recurring beast in front of her.

It sure did look like that dammed tentacle beast, only with a lot more metal, and a lot more firepower. Mechanical arms waved around the main center, little holes speckled them in which Jo assumed held bullets or grenades or some sort of explosive. Her assumptions proved right as one swept toward her and a raining of shots fell around the street. Nimbly, she pushed off the tentacle as it swept the ground and jumped over it, shooting several times at the arm as it swung past her.

She cursed to herself as she saw that the bullets had no effect, they fell into the holes or ricocheted off the edge. Trying a new tactic, she charged the beast and shot into its underbelly, hoping it would be less protected. The bullets rang through the metal, but appeared to do no damage as the pavement rang out with the sound of metal crashing against it. The cybot turned to follow Jo as she came around the back of it and Jo ducked under one of the tentacles as it shot at her. The bullets pierced the armor and the pilot was too slow to react with Jo's reckless movements.

Jumping onto the arm, Jo ran up the side as fast as she could, grabbing onto the gun holes as the arm shook trying to get her off. Holding on, she waited until the machine tentacle swung high into the air. She let go, dropping to the top of the cybot's head and perched waiting as she stared into the cockpit. The window was tinted and she couldn't see inside; irritated, she shot at the screen, which cracked but didn't break. She punched it and got no further results. Whatever metal this thing was made out of, it was strong.

She didn't notice the tentacle that came around and knocked her off; by that time she was already falling towards the ground and barely had time to brace herself before hitting the ground with a thud.

Jo laid on the ground for a minute, trying to regain her breath. She was pretty sure she had at least cracked a rib, and she could feel her head throb. Without Jango, she was definitely at a disadvantage, and there was no way of getting him now. Getting up, Jo hoped fervently that Meg was somewhere hiding, safe. Whoever this pilot was, he was no easy target.

The cybot was made out of some impenetrable steel that her bullets couldn't cut through. That was a fact and nothing would change that. Eyes alert, she watched as bullets rained down next to her, and she was forced to roll out of the way. Her body felt immense pain as her stomach and arm hit the ground and she gasped at the intensity of it. Yep, there was definitely a broken rib. Along with various other things, Jo realized. Like Meg always said though, she was a fast healer. There was time to deal with injuries later; right now she needed a plan.

If her bullets couldn't pierce the armor, then maybe something with more firepower would work. Reaching into her jacket, she pulled a grenade out and bit the pin off with her teeth, her arm in pain from the earlier blow. Placing the Desert Eagle in her loosely hanging hand, she threw it towards the beast, hoping that if it couldn't damage the monstrosity, it could at least buy her some time.

It exploded with a bang and Jo's heart rushed at the comforting sensation of explosions and mayhem that she thrived so naturally in. Peering around the corner, she saw that the beast had taken almost no damage, aside from its underbelly being a little charred. She cursed her luck for not having the proper tools.

Then it came to her. Earlier, the shots from the cybot's arms caused damage to itself, the bullets leaving holes in the still strong underbelly. Whatever it was made of, the bullets were strong enough to penetrate and Jo was almost positive that it could crack the windshield and leave her with the task of killing whatever deranged madness was controlling it. The only downside was that she'd have to charge it straight on and find a way back onto the top of the beast without getting killed by the rampaging arms.

It would be a price she'd have to take. This thing was steadily advancing down the now deserted street and Jo had the slight advantage of being able to come from behind, and if she waited any longer she wouldn't be able to catch up with it, not with the blood dripping down her sides and the broken ribs that prevented her from going too fast. She stayed calm though. No need to rush into this. Meg was somewhere safe and this was just another enemy, and as long it didn't make things personal, Jo was more than happy to simply and effectively destroy it into tiny little pieces that would never get in her way again.

Gasping still for breath she charged down the street and jumped neatly over the sweeping tentacles and she got solid purchase on one that was currently ripping into a sign and therefore locked in its actions. Using the holes where bullets could come flying out at any moment, she tried her previous strategy and ran up the side, but whoever was piloting obviously wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice and wasted no time in throwing Jo into a brick wall that came crashing down around her.

Jo fought her way out of the heavy bricks and debris, and when she stood she felt stronger and she knew by instinct that her tattoos had shown themselves. It was time to end this.

Jo ran out into the street, firing useless bullets at the cybot, knowing it would at least get its attention.

"You want to play with fire?!" She yelled, charging it. "Prepare to get burned!' She skidded under a tentacle and slid on her stomach as she fired into the underbelly. The machine moved a tentacle underneath and Jo, grinning, grabbed onto it and held tight as it swung back out. Instead of letting it swing her high into the air though, she jumped off and positioned herself on the front of the machine, her hands narrowly holding onto the cracks and crevices that defined its machine status. She climbed up the cybot, wincing as bullets rang out around her, many hitting the armor, but just as many scraping her sides and hitting her. Getting to the top this way may have been the only option, but it made her a target out in the open, and fast healing or not, bullet wounds didn't just disappear.

The bullets did their job though, piercing the armor of the cybot and Jo could tell by the frenzied movements that the pilot was trying to figure out a way to get her off. Undeterred, Jo climbed, her wounded arm behind her, spouting out bullets at a frenzied pace, determined to keep the shots and the tentacles aimed towards her. Finally, she pulled herself to the top, using impressive speed to duck and dodge the other swinging tentacles that had reacted to the attack. The shield was more cracked then ever but still didn't break as Jo fired another set of rounds at it, which confirmed her suspicions that it wouldn't break under regular firepower.

"Hot lead, sucker…" She murmured as the bullets rained upon her, hitting the screen. That was what she wanted and she danced around the top of the cybot precariously, unwilling to have another plummet towards the hard unforgiving ground. Finally, just as Jo felt like the strategy was worthless, she saw the material shatter, revealing the pilot underneath it. Quickly, unwilling to waste anymore time, she grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him up, getting a good look at his face and features.

The man was crazy, that was for sure. His eyes were bloodshot, he looked sleep-deprived and completely out of it. No glowing brain was found anywhere on him, and there was no frothing at the mouth and struggling, rather he swung limply like a rag doll as Jo threw him to the ground. He bounced once before almost sliding off, and Jo shot a bullet in his leg so he couldn't go anywhere else. The mechanical tentacles had fallen limply to the sides and the cybot now looked like a broken down swing ride at one of those amusement parks Meg had dragged her to.

"What the hell is your problem?" She asked. He just laughed maniacally. Jo coughed and watched as blood came up mixed with it. She spat it next to man, who then seemed to realize someone was there.

"Jo…" He said before laughing again. "What a weird name for a girl."

"What the-! How do you know my name?!" Jo asked, forcing her injured arm to pull up, pointing both Desert Eagles at the man.

"Your face isn't that hard to remember. Jo's a weird name for a girl." The man babbled on.

"Shut the hell up! Who sent you?!"

"It doesn't even matter now, you're going to kill me, aren't you?" He giggled.

"You're damn right, I'm gonna kill you! Now talk!" She shoved the gun into his head. "Why the hell are you here?"

"Why are you here?" He asked, contorting his face into a twisted attempt of puzzlement. "Shouldn't you be taking care of your friend?" He couldn't hold his face anymore and laughed again. Jo said nothing for a few seconds, her mind going blank at the thought of Meg.

Meg was in danger. It was a trap, she was gone, hurt, kidnapped, Jo had no idea and she freaked.

"Meg…what did you do to her?" She asked, her voice quieter. When the man wouldn't talk, she raised it. "Answer me!" Her voice sounded desperate, and she knew that it did, and she didn't know why she couldn't help but feel complete and total chaos and panic at the thought of losing her.

"I didn't do anything. I've been here the whole time." He laughed.

Jo lost it and punched the man in the jaw; she heard it crunch and felt a pang of satisfaction. "Talk! Now!" He wiped the blood from his chin as he grinned up at her, his mouth a bloody mess of teeth and fragments.

"I can't talk if you break my jaw, silly Jo." He still kept laughing

"I don't give a damn about your jaw; tell me what you did to Meg!"

"I told you already, I didn't do anything." He emphasized the "I" so much that Jo knew that the man hadn't done anything himself.

"Then you better tell me what's going on, or a lot more will be broken than that pathetic jaw of yours"

"Look at you, all bloodlust…" He laughed. "They never told me this would happen, but my, it's quite a surprise!"

"Who told you?!" Jo asked, though she was starting to suspect her interrogation was futile.

"Ah, now we get to the questioning. Did you take too long though, Jo?" His question posed an unknown element to Jo.

Fear overtook her as she realized for the second time, she might be too late. She looked out over the horizon from her perch on the top of the cybot.

"Meg…" She said before she realized it. The man cackled.

"You better hurry. There's gonna be some hot shit going down."

"You want it hot?" Jo asked, her voice full of malice and hate as she turned back to the man, her tattoos glowing brighter than ever as her eyes seemed to burn into the man. "I'll give you some heat." Quicker than anyone could have known she shot him, multiple times, more than necessary because she knew he was dead. That didn't stop her though, pouring out her anger and frustration towards the man as he became riddled with bullets.

Blood poured down his face as the bullet holes met there mark and Jo, in her frenzied state, thought back to the short time ago her and Meg had sat in the restaurant. Meg's happy smiling face came to Jo's mind as she only got angrier at the thought of that smile disappearing.

"_Hot wings, Jo?" _The face in her mind asked, the smile lasting into forever for Jo.

"Facemelter…" Jo murmured, watching the blood run down the man's face, covering up his ever frozen laugh.

Jo staggered down the streets; the absence of adrenaline from battle had caused her tattoos and subsequently her extra strength to disappear. The wounds were still flowing and she could feel the blood dripping on the pavement behind her and soaking into her scarf. She wondered where Meg could be, where she would hide when Jo told her to run. She looked feebly at the communicator on her wrist and wondered if it was worth it to use it. What if Meg was already gone? What if they had taken it away and would use it for bait? What if Meg...didn't answer…..

She needed to talk to Meg though. She needed to hear her voice. She knew that Meg would berate her for her injuries, complain about something completely of out Jo's control, but that didn't matter. It didn't matter though. Almost losing Meg made Jo realize how much she needed her and depended on her. It didn't matter how much Meg needed her, there would never be a day when, Jo realized as she lifted the communicator to her mouth, she would willingly leave Meg.

"Meg…" She gasped, sliding to the ground as her legs gave out.

"Jo? Jo!" Meg's voice came back. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm in the street, one of the side ones." Jo said back. The world started to go black as the blood loss caught up with her. "Are…you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine; I hid just like you told me. Jo, what's wrong? Are you hurt? I can tell you're hurt! How badly?" Meg panicked as she rushed out from the abandoned building she hid in.

Jo smiled as she heard Meg say she was okay. She had done her job. With that knowledge, she slumped, passing out blissfully into the darkness.

Meg ran as fast as she could as wildly made her way back to the street where she had split from her ever-fighting companion. Sure, she had remained safe, and that was great, but her safety wasn't worth anything, she thought as she skidded around a corner, unless Jo was making sure she was safe. She ducked down every alleyway, not caring or noticing who saw her or how they looked at her. The people had started to emerge from the wreckage and the longer it took, the more time would be wasted. The faint breathing that had reached Megs ears after she had spoken to Jo was not reassuring in any way and Meg was afraid with more than her life for Jo. Amy's words from earlier floated back to the surface of her mind and Meg realized just exactly how true they were. Jo was out there fighting, getting hurt, doing all these things, for her sake. Not for her own, not for glory or triumph, no. She fought to save her, to make sure she was safe, but god, why couldn't she have just come with her and hidden? Was it so wrong to hide?

Meg realized she was glad she hid as her eyes saw a unconscious Jo hidden in a side street, a puddle around her of what Meg knew to be blood, the white edges of her scarf still barely visible.

"Oh my god…" She said, sprinting towards Jo. "Jo!" She cried out, her voice desperate and needy. "Jo, oh my….no!" She cried dropping to the ground next to her. Delicately, she lifted Jo's head as she cradled it her in her arms.

Jo opened her eyes to see red as she felt warmth suffuse her, and she thought at first it was blood, and the thought struck her of going blind and therefore not being able to see Meg, though if she was dead, then it wouldn't matter anyway. However, heaven smelled like Meg and the name rose from her lips as she came to, realizing that she was alive, and so was Meg, who was holding her in her arms right now, her arms strong and warm and soft, and Jo wondered why it was she never let Meg fight when she knew how strong she was. Then she remembered her current state and the knowledge that that was the reason Meg was not allowed to fight.

"Meg…"She struggled to say. Meg looked at her face, tears in her eyes.

"Jo, you're…." Her face came over with disbelief as she stared into the smoldering eyes of the girl she loved.

"You're…" Jo sat up, her breathing shallow as she fought to keep consciousness again. She gently lifted her good arm up to Meg's face, wiping away a tear that was on it. "You're crying…" She murmured, exhausted.

"Jo, stop." She said, embarrassed. "Save your strength, I'm fine. Come on, we need to get you to the doctor. I'll call Sei and tell her to send him over to the trailer."

"It's...not fine." Jo said stubbornly. She leaned her head on Meg's shoulder, wincing as her side bent.

Meg ignored her, now was not the time. "How bad is it?" She asked as she got to her knees, her arm around Jo as she struggled to get her up. She touched Jo's arm and the other girl hissed in pain as a response. Meg let go and focused on getting Jo up.

"I'll be fine. We need…to get somewhere safe."

"The trailer's not too far Jo. Can you make it?" Meg's voice was strong though Jo could hear the quavering tones underneath it. Meg was scared, but there was no reason to be. The danger was gone, the threat vanquished.

"Don't be scared, Meg…" Jo whispered as she leaned on the other girl for support. Meg clutched her arm tighter as she shifted Jo, supporting the light girl on her. She could feel warm liquid seep onto her body and she knew with distaste that it was blood.

They struggled down the streets; Jo fading in and out of consciousness as she silently accepted the help. Meg knew there would be no thanks, no showing of any concern. Jo was obsessed with her pride, obsessed with the fact of being the best, being better than the best, and Meg knew that she did this because she was obsessed with Jo and would put up with it. She giggled a little, but then felt bad that she was laughing- Jo hurt and unable to stand on her own was not funny at all.

The trailer seemed farther away then Meg remembered, but somehow they made it there without running into anymore problems. Meg opened the door, and set Jo gently down on the couch she inhabited nearly all of the time, besides her room or the roof of course.

"I'm going to go get Sei and the doctor ok?" She watched, worried as Jo didn't reply.

Sei was in a store waiting patiently as Amy searched through a huge catalogue of internet products. Her phone beeped and she took the call.

"If you need more money Meg, the answer is no."

"Sei." Meg said and Sei became worried at the tired, yet frantic tone. "It's Jo."

"What about her?"

"Sei, we were attacked and she got hurt. Badly. We need the doctor, I managed to get us both back to the trailer, but there's a lot of blood and one of her arms are broken, I think. She's got tons of holes in her jacket and scarf. Please, Sei, help us." Meg was nearly in tears as she realized what was happening in her recount of the tale to Sei. "She could be dying, Sei!"

"Don't worry Meg, I'll call the doctor immediately, we'll be back shortly ok? You just keep an eye on Jo for us."

"I will, I won't leave!"

"I know." Sei smiled into the phone, masking her worry. "It'll be alright Meg."

Meg hung up the phone as she watched Jo. She took a hand and smoothed Jo's hair back so her face cooled off, feeling the sweat perspire off her. Jo, in her half-aware state, felt Meg's hand and reached for it. Keeping it in her grasp, she thought briefly, before losing consciousness again, that this way Meg would be safe. She would wake up if her hand was torn from her own.

They sat there, waiting for the doctor, silent promises and protection emanating from them both.

**Ok, I hope you all liked that...those of you that made it all the way to the end. Please let me know what you think(that was my first battle scene haha) and thanks again for reading. You all are awesome :)**

**Chapter 8 should be hopefully coming up soon- bringing a slew (of new and hopefully orginal and enjoyable) characters. The doctor is in, folks, along with Jo's new and mysterious foe in the tournament. With her injuries, will she even be able to fight???**

**Until next time :)**


	8. Explosions

**It has been far too long and I apologize. Everything from this point is completely coming up as I go along- none of it has existed before I wrote it down, so I'm prone to suffer from days or so of writer's block (curse you writer's block!) Thanks to all of you who have patiently waited for the next chapter and of course to all who have read and espicially reviewed. You guys truly are the best. As always, feel free to let me know about any comments, questions or concerns and hopefully you all will enjoy the chapter :) Thanks again.**

There was a knock on the door in a timely fashion, and Meg ran to it, throwing it open in a state of breathlessness. A young man stood at the door, green eyes grave as peered around her into the living room where Jo laid. Jo had felt Meg leave and startled awake, grabbing her gun off the table and pointing it in the doctors' direction before either knew what was happening. Jo certainly had no idea; she had reacted only on instinct and was fully prepared to continue to do so.

Meg flashed a smile of an apology as she ran back to Jo, shutting and locking the trailer door. "It's fine Jo, I'm right here…"She said, placing a hand to the still burning forehead. Jo murmured something unintelligible as a response and put the gun down slowly, returning to her previous inactive state.

"That's remarkable…" The doctor muttered as he watched. Meg looked up at him and quickly smiled again.

"No. That's just Jo." She shrugged, tenderly looking at her. "It's what she does."

"Well, she seems to be feeling better…"

"I doubt it." Meg said, her voice back to being worried. "Her forehead is burning up, and I've been able to stop some of the bleeding, but that's it." She pulled back the sheet on top of Jo to reveal a pool of blood on the couch.

"Well, don't worry…" The doctor got up and walked over. He placed a hand on Meg's shoulder and the girl wheeled around, surprised at the sudden contact. He simply smiled at her with his green eyes and pushed off, making his way to Jo. "I'll take care of your friend for you." He pulled out several medical tools and Meg turned away embarrassed.

"She's not my friend. She's Jo." She said to herself, scowling, as she sat down in the kitchen, giving the doctor some space. However, her plan went awry as she heard him yell for her.

"Excuse me, I could use some help in here." Meg made her way back in, watching with her arms crossed. He looked up, a relieved smile on his face.

"For future reference, my name is Meg." She told him crossly.

"Very well then, Meg, my name is Dr. Tatsu Odeko."

"You're not the usual doctor, are you?" Meg said, knowing that he wasn't.

"No, I'm afraid not. It seems my colleague has run into a spot of trouble." He gave a little laugh. "Don't worry though- I know what I'm doing." He got up and went over to the large medical bag he had, taking out a stand and an impressive looking box which had several wires dangling from it. Meg looked at the box interestingly, but turned away when she could feel the stare from the man bore into her direction. He set it up on the table and stuck the wires into Jo as Meg looked on nervously, concerned by the lack of Jo's reaction.

"What is that?" She asked, and he seemed almost too happy to answer.

"It'll monitor her vital signs- heart rate, blood pressure, the likes. That way we'll know if something goes wrong. Not-" He added in hastily as Meg opened her mouth to speak. "That anything will go wrong. It's just a precaution."

Meg watched in silence, gasping a little as she came face to face with Jo's injuries as Dr. Odeko lifted back the sheet on top of her body. The blood had staunched a bit, leaving a dark stain on the furniture as it oozed out of the wounds.

"This doesn't look very good…What happened to her?"

"She was fighting." Meg said as he examined the wound, reaching into his bag for antiseptic wipes and a very long needle that made Meg look away when she saw it.

"What was she fighting, an army?" He pondered.

"No, but she could." Meg smiled though her eyes were starting to tear up. "And she'd win too."

"I'm amazed she's still alive. She lost a large amount of blood, I'm going to have to take a sample and found out what type she is. She needs a transfusion or I won't be able to operate." He took a swab and set it in a machine which whirred as it came to life.

"What do you have to operate?"

"She's got three broken ribs for sure, maybe a couple bruised. And I'd like to stitch up many of the holes she has. I take it she was shot, but this is unprecedented. It's like she put herself in the line of fire on purpose. Some of them just seemed to have grazed her, so I'll just bandages over those. Her arm is broken, but luckily it's not a very large fracture from what I can tell, I'll get an x-ray of it and set that into place. She's just going to need a lot of rest and relaxation."

"How soon until she'll be able to fight again?" Meg asked, thinking ahead to what was supposed to happen as soon as the now disappearing sun finally left.

"About a week."

"We don't a have a week." Meg bit her lip, staring away from the doctor whose eyes had never stopped looking at her.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the machine beeped and he pulled out a sheet of paper with several markings on it.

"O+…that's her blood type." He looked farther down on the paper. "Remarkable though, she's got amazing vital statistics. This blood type is not a good thing though. We need another O+ or she's not going to make it."

"See if I'm one."

"Are you sure? Donating blood will leave you woozy and out of it." He grinned a little as he said it. "An unfortunate side effect."

Meg, though uncomfortable by the man's attitude, agreed. It was the only way she could help Jo and of course it didn't matter that seeing her blood getting taken out of her body made her pass out.

She could just…look away.

It wasn't that blood necessarily bothered her, she had seen enough of it before and she had helped take care of Jo when she came in bloody and battered that seeing it was enough. She had bled before too, back when she used to attempt to cook or when she would somehow get hurt fighting. It was the actual knowledge that it was her blood getting sucked up through some little straw that freaked her out.

"You're O+, which is excellent for your friend." Again, he said friend and Meg shuddered, though he misinterpreted it. "Don't worry. It'll all be okay. Are you sure you still want to do this?"

"I'd do anything for her." Meg said forcefully. This guy was up to something, but they needed him right now, and Sei and Amy weren't home yet. Sei would be able to deal with it much more diplomatically, which Meg was sure would be a better way to handle the situation. There was no need for her to turn to Jo's ways of being unnecessarily violent. Not unless the situation clearly presented itself.

She sat herself down on the couch by Jo, sitting protectively in front of the sleeping girl as Odeko took out a large needle and a sac to get the blood in. She took Jo's hand in hers and held it as she prepared for the withdrawal. A smile came to her face as she finally felt like she was protecting Jo, for once. Jo's hand fit perfectly in Megs as she felt the edges of the torn glove cover up what had to be bruised and beaten skin. Meg thought she might have imagined it, but it felt like Jo was holding it back.

The needle came into her skin before she knew what was happening and she gasped quietly in pain, turning her head away as she felt the needle swish inside her, searching for a vein. It prickled uncomfortably and she tried not to shift around too much. Averting her eyes away from the doctor, who seemed to be grinning and the bag of blood that Meg knew was starting slightly to fill up as she felt her blood drain from her body, she looked towards the door, hoping that Sei and Amy would return soon. Just how far away had they gone? Even if they were in the Shinogawa district, the usual places weren't too far away-after all, Meg had walked here in a night and Jo had ran the distance in a couple of hours. Something wasn't right, as normal, and Meg sighed as she wished for the normal life she wanted with Jo, which seemed like it would never happen.

Sei and Amy were caught up in a traffic jam of all things, a so-called routine traffic stop set up by RAPT. Sei, with a look towards Amy, showed she thought something was up. As Amy reached down for her laptop to access the security cameras in the area, Sei thought the better of stopping and floored the high powered vehicle she was now very happy to have.

Amy was flung back into the seat, her eyes wide with panic for second before she readjusted; now making sure the seatbelt was, in fact, secured. Looking at Sei, a devilish grin slowly forming on her face, she turned farther to see out the back window, which was slowly filling up with the sight of several RAPT vehicles hot on their trail.

"Sei, they're following us." She said nonchalantly. Sei narrowed her eyes as she pressed harder on the accelerator, turning ferociously on the super-highway as she avoided the spray of bullets raining behind them.

"Then do something about it Amy, I'm a little busy here…" Sei said between gritted teeth as she careened off the road into the narrow side streets. Amy stuck her tongue out in exasperation, but opened up her laptop and typed furiously onto the keys.

"I'll see if I can hack in, usually RAPT's not too keen on making sure they're well protected. If not, we've got to get back to the trailer somehow."

"I know. This seems just a little too coincidental for me, that's all. Hopefully Meg's got everything under control back at the house."

Sei stared at Amy for a second, who glanced back nervously.

"We better get back quick." Amy said as she looked back at the codes on her screen.

Meg sat woozily on the couch, the lack of blood causing her attention to shift and her eyes to gaze towards the still filling bag. Fighting to stay conscious she strove to look at Jo. Some of the color seemed to have come back to her face and Meg sighed as she saw her breathing stay regular and the bandages hold up. Sure, Sei would take some her money out her measly paycheck to compensate the blood stains on the furniture, but Meg didn't buy much anyway, besides food, and even that Jo would pay for if they went out for lunch. That is, if she hadn't spent it all on implements of death, which were about the only thing Jo enjoyed shopping for. Not that she didn't accompany Meg on multiple shopping trips, which were sometimes the only time the two spent together- of course, Meg kind of knew that Jo came to make sure nobody "took advantage of her" as she had told her once.

Odeko's face filled hers suddenly and she jumped, a pain in her arm forming. He placed his hand on her arm, his grip surprisingly strong.

"Don't move." His voice was harsh and as Meg looked at him he seemed to soften. "You'll hurt yourself."

"Look, have you gotten enough blood yet? This needle's been stuck in my arm for forever!" Meg complained, trying to wrench her arm away. She couldn't get it out of his grip though and struggled to pull away. "Hey, let go of me!"

He stepped back, grinning smartly. "Look honey, your little friend's asleep right now, and she won't be waking up for a while. Why don't you let me make sure you're safe?" He asked lecherously, his eyes trailing up and down Meg's body.

He got closer and closer and Meg slapped him across the cheek. "Don't touch me!" She cried.

"Look, if you want your friend here to live, you'll do what I say. Otherwise you'll never hear her voice again." He voice was cruel and calculating, and Meg winced.

What could she do? This man was disgusting, a creepy old pervert who wasn't even cute at all. Besides, she was in love with Jo. Seriously in love with Jo. She could barley tolerate the man, never mind get close to him. Her bad feeling from earlier was spot on, and she panicked. This man was threatening to kill Jo if she didn't do what he said. Surely Jo would forgive her for doing something to save her life- after all, look at all the things Jo had done for her.

Afterwards though….would she ever be able to look Jo in the eye again? Because that innocent Meg would disappear if she went through with this. Could she live with herself, doing something like this, to make sure that Jo was safe? The man got closer and closer and Meg knew she was running out of time

It was Jo. And just like how Meg knew Jo would do anything for her, Meg would do the same. Forgiveness or not, acceptance or not, love or not, it was imperative that Jo continue to live, and if Meg had to give up everything, it would be fine, because at least she could see those mysterious red eyes and watchful stare that came from them one last time before leaving, if that was what Jo wanted.

So Meg laid on the couch and turned to her head to watch Jo because maybe, she thought, she could bear it if she imagined it was Jo, if it was Jo that was loving her, if it was her fingers running over her body, her breath on her neck and she squirmed because no matter what she thought, it wasn't Jo. These were rough, hardened hands and sour foggy breath, and none of it was sweet or gentle like Meg knew Jo would be.

So Meg closed her eyes and wished for it to be over. She felt her clothes getting taken off piece by piece and she felt hands roam her body and she was shaking by now, because she was cold and disgusted. He got closer, and closer, and soon there was nothing left to stop him, not a single thing at all.

He collapsed next to her though, and she felt him fall with a thud and shockingly she opened her eyes. Across the way Jo's arm bled a little as the I.V. tube hung listlessly from the pole that she held in her hands, a fierce glare on her face as she stared directly at Odeko in front of her.

"Jo…" Meg gasped, trying to regain control of her shaking body. Jo's eyes snapped unclearly towards Meg and she looked her over quickly; Meg tried to cover herself up.

"Meg…" Jo said hazily. "Did…he do this?" Meg simply nodded and Jo focused back towards Odeko, who was slowly getting up, rubbing his head. Jo sat up, propping herself against the couch as she reached for her Desert Eagle on the table at the end.

"Son of a…" He groaned. Looking up, he found himself face to face with a pair of suddenly open, very clear, and very menacing looking pair of red eyes.

"You shouldn't have done that." Jo said, clicking the safety.

"You! You're...awake?! I was giving both of you a drug that should have knocked both of you out!"

"You're still alive?" Jo asked. Odeko's eyes widened in terror as he scrambled to get up. He reached into his pocket and drew out a small pistol, which shook in his hands as he pointed it at Jo.

"Those injuries...it's impossible for a normal person to heal that quickly!"

"You shut your mouth right now…"Jo forced through her gritted teeth. "I swear to God, you keep your mouth shut." Her hand shook with anger.

"What are you gonna do to me anyway? Look at you, you're barely awake!" He laughed, and in one quick motion grabbed Meg from her shocked position on the couch, using her as a human shield as he stood in front of Jo. "There's no way you'd be able to shoot me, let alone stand up!"

"All it takes is one pull of the finger." Jo snarled at the man.

"You wouldn't want to shoot your little friend though, would you? One pull of the finger would send her straight to heaven." Meg winced as her dragged her around, backing slowly towards the trailer. He opened the door, Meg still staring helplessly at Jo.

"Jo, please…help me."She cried, shamed at her appearance and what she had done. Even now, when Jo was healing and trying to get better so she could fight for her, she couldn't do anything to make the situation better.

"Meg…" Jo said quietly as her eyes fluttered. She slumped against the couch for a second as she fought with everything to stay conscious. Her eyes focused on Meg's hair, on the panicked look on her face, and the other emotions Jo couldn't quite place.

Odeko took his chances and threw Meg down the stairs and went to leap after her, turning to grin triumphantly at Jo, who seemed to come back once she realized Meg was gone. "One pull of the finger will send you straight to hell!" She yelled as she used all of her remaining energy to fire at the man, whose grin stayed echoed on his face as the bullet passed through his body and he fell to the ground.

Jo sighed as she sank back on the couch and she was only vaguely awake as she felt a pair of arms encompass her and she moved closer into their warmth. Flashes of red invaded her vision and she thought only of Meg and the fact that she was now safe again before she used up all of the strength in her body. She saw Meg through hazy eyes and murmured, almost imperceptibly "Are you okay?"

She felt moisture on her face and that familiar voice whisper "Yes.". With a sigh almost of contentment, Jo passed out again, falling into a deep slumber.

Meg looked down at her sleeping angel, her hero, her love. With tears running down her face, she pressed her lips to Jo's forehead, brushing the sweaty bangs out of the way. "I love you, Jo." She said quietly, before laying her head down in the crook of Jo's arm which instinctively wrapped itself around her. Exhausted from terror and trauma, and thankful to have it just be the two of them, Meg fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Amy turned around in her seat to stare at the explosion that had just come from a RAPT car behind them. She grinned as she watched the fire spread on the roadway.

"Oh yeah, Sei, I totally got it!" She laughed. Sei turned to her quickly.

"How did you do that?"

"I overloaded the main frame and put the engine into hyperactive mode, but locked the wheels and the turbine so it just get spinning and eventually the centrifugal force cause the engine to erupt into flames, which then spread the gas tank and boom! End of guys who want to kill us."

"Not quite yet..."Sei said as she glanced into the rear-view mirror to see two more cars come out of the flames."We've got a bit of a head start."

"So what should we do? Hacking isn't exactly a quick way to blow them up, and considering Jo's..." Amy's voice died off for a minute. "Well, what are we going to do?"

"How quickly can you access this mainframe?" Sei asked.

"About ten seconds."

"Make it twenty." Sei said as the car slowed. "And get ready to run."

The RAPT cars came speeding up behind, not at all concerned with the fact that the car was slowing down on purpose. Amy watched between Sei and her laptop, her finger hovering over the key.

"You want me to blow this thing up, don't you?" Amy asked. "You love this car." Sei sighed and nodded sadly.

"Just do it Amy, when I give the signal."

"Alright, if you say so." Amy shrugged her shoulders. It wasn't like she would have to talk to the leader of Bai-Lan to explain why a very nice, expensive, and not to mention fast, car was blown up instead of the so-called top gunslinger taking out the bad guys. That would go over well.

"On three...One...two..."Sei's voice wavered as she stared lovingly at the dashboard of the car, and Amy watched Sei with the intensity that made her part of the team.

"Three." Sei's voice called out sharply, and Amy pressed the button. Only seconds later, the car started to shake and Sei gripped the steering wheel as she tried to keep some control. The RAPT card had caught up and drove directly behind Sei and Amy. Alarms in the car started going off and Sei had to yell above the noise to give directions. "When I hit the brakes, jump!" She yelled. Not waiting for Sei to give any more orders, Amy had already unbuckled her seatbelt and closed up her computer, stuffing it frantically into its stuffed bunny case, which, she thought in a state that comes only in those types of situations, could hopefully shield her from the sudden impact of her face against the road that was about to come.

Sei put one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on her door and in a motion that showed her prowess and skill as the leader of her group, both opened her door and slammed on the brakes at the same time, jumping out of the car. The impact snapped the door off its hinges and Sei turned her body to land on the skidding material as she flew under the elevated RAPT cars in the street. Amy jumped as well, landing on the stuffed bunny and rolled towards the side of the, far enough to only not get killed by the blast, but she felt the heat and fire from the explosion as the car blew up, taking the other two with it as the high-octane fuel Sei insisted on always buying caused a huge explosion. Through the smoke and flames, Amy and Sei ran through the dark alleyways covered in soot and dust, their clothes charred and smoky.

"Amy, are you ok?" Sei asked as she stopped for a minute, panting into the mouthpiece.

"I'm ok. Where are you Sei?" Amy asked, and Sei was surprised to hear an unusual touch of worry in the girl's voice.

"I don't really know. Where are you though? Stay where you are, I'll come get you.

"I'll send you the coordinates, I'm not really sure either." There was a pause. "Sei, there's a problem."

"What? Are you hurt?"

"No, I told you I'm fine. I can't hook up to anything though. I think the fall or the explosion ruined some parts of my computer and the system. I can't uplink to anything at all. I'm surprised the communication is working. There's no way I can send you any link to where I am though." There was a muffled noise for a few minutes. "No video or pictures either."

"Try to dust yourself off then." Sei said after a few seconds. "Then, make your way out towards the main street and try to get back to the trailer. We'll meet up there with Meg and Jo."

"Doesn't that seem a bit dangerous?"

"We blew up a car Amy; it doesn't get more dangerous than that." Sei said, a ghost of a smile etching itself onto her face. "Although I'd rather we stick together, the most important thing is that the four of us are together."

"Well of course! I want to get home too. At least Kyohei's coming soon." Amy pouted on the other end and Sei chuckled.

"Then let's get going. Sei out." She turned off the communication with Amy and stared down at her clothes, which were not in good shape to say the least. Her eyes fell on the mangled mess of car key on the ground a little ways off and sighed sadly. "I really am going to miss that car." She shook her head and walked off.

Amy meanwhile looked down at the large scrape on her side and winced as she stood up. Lying to Sei was not something that was going to end well but she reasoned that she'd be able to make it back to the trailer and get a bandage from the doctor who was sure to be there. However, it wasn't looking like it was going to be easy-but she had an obligation to Jo and to Meg and to Sei to pull her weight and get going. So she did.

Sei had made almost made it to the trailer when she heard footsteps behind her and turned, drawing out a small pistol like the one Meg had. There was a clunk as two hands shot up in the air.

"Hold it! It's me!" Sei looked to see Amy step out of the shadows, a grimace on her face. "Don't shoot, gee, I made it all the way here and you're the only one to pull a gun on me the whole time."

"You don't look so good actually. Everything ok?"

"I'm fine." Amy lied. Sei looked at her shirt though and saw a hint of blood seeping through.

"You're not. You're hurt. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"It's just a scratch; besides we needed to get here." Amy looked past Sei towards the trailer, and Sei turned as well, noticing a speck in the distance lying by the trailer.

"What is that?" Sei asked aloud.

"I have no idea." Amy said, taking several limping steps forward. Sei took her hand and helped her along. They stopped as they saw the bullet-riddled man lying dead outside the trailer.

"Oh…"Sei said, making a face as she turned away.

"Looks like the doctor is out." Amy said as she hobbled up the steps, eager to get away. "Permanently."

**And there we go folks :) Hope you all enjoyed, and feel free to review or PM at anytime. Thanks for reading, and hopefully if I can stave off the block, another chapter will come-sooner than this one did definitely :)**


	9. History Repeats Itself

**Welcome to Chapter 9! *cheers* I apologize, as always for the wait, but this chapter sets up some very important things for the future even though, well, it talks about the past. A big thank you as always to those who have read and those who have reviewed and even the amount of you that do both! Any feedback is welcome at all, feel free to reivew or PM me with any questions, comments, or concerns**

**Disclaimer (i'm really bad at remembering to do these) -- I own nothing. big surprise**

**_*italics are flashback*_**

Sei threw the door open with a worried look on her face and glanced around the trailer, searching for an unknown enemy. Instead she was face to face, for the second time that day, to a sleeping Meg and Jo.

"Jo! Meg! Are you two all right?" Sei asked, unsure whether they were slumbering or knocked out by something still lurking around.

Meg looked up groggily at Sei, waking up for her exhausted sleep. "You're back?" She asked hazy. "Took you long enough." She said, irritated as she woke up fully. She stretched yawning and the blanket fell off her to reveal her…completely.

Amy poked her head around the hallway to meet Meg in all her natural glory and gawked, her jaw dropping for a second before she shut it, turning red. "Guess I know what someone was doing while we were gone…" She said with a huge smirk on her face. Meg's face went as red as her hair and she clawed at the blanket, wrapping it around her. In her haste, she pulled it off of Jo though, who gave a small groan as she blindly reached around for the blanket. Meg grabbed her clothes and covered herself up with them as she laid the blanket back down on Jo, who, Amy noticed, was fully clothed, although they were covered in blood and torn up.

"My god…" Sei said, as she too got a look at the wounds on Jo. "What the hell happened?"

"We went out to eat and…"Meg trailed off. "Can I get dressed first?" She asked, a little annoyed. Sei nodded and Meg left. Amy watched Sei's face for a moment, studying the serious look on it.

"What's with the face? You looked like you swallowed a cat or something."

"I don't get it. How did Jo get this hurt knowing she was going to have to fight later on? She's a fast healer, and yes she's rash and rushes into things, but we both know she knows better than this." Sei shook her head. "This isn't a good sign."

"There's obviously a reason…" Amy said, sticking up for Jo and Meg. "Jo's not stupid, c'mon Sei. Give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure Meg will tell us what happened." Sei's eyes narrowed slightly as the girl who was normally on her side deviated from it. Deigning to say anything, she pulled a chair over to the sitting room area by Jo and promptly sat in it.

Meg returned to find both of them in those same positions, not saying a word. For the first time in what seemed like ages there was an awkward silence over the three of them.

"Nice outfit…" Amy muttered. Meg was wearing sweats and a t-shirt, obviously one of Jo's, and she glared at Amy.

"Brat." She sighed, sitting on the couch next to Jo.

"Meg, can you tell us what happened?" Sei asked, concerned by the odd behavior that was going on.

"Yeah, most of it anyway. We had gone out to get something to eat, really we were just wandering around, and we go into this place and eat and when we came out there were these explosions going off. I wanted to see what was going on. Jo didn't though. She kept trying to tell me we should leave, that it was none of our business to go fight."

"But…" Sei prodded, asking the question they knew the answer too.

"Jo told me to go hide. Run away with the rest of the civilians and hide somewhere where I'd be safe. I knew she was going to head in there, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. Once she makes up her mind she's going to do something, there's no stopping Jo.

I hid under a bridge and waited, at least a half hour or so. It took a long time before Jo even contacted me. I was worried, so I headed back. There were injured people all around me…they asked me to help them but I had to get to Jo." She looked up at Sei with tears in her eyes. "I wanted to help them though, believe me, please." Sei put a hand on her shoulder and nodded.

"It's fine Meg. You and Jo are much more important than civilians." Sei said seriously. The supposed to be helpful comment only caused Meg to go into more of a panicked state, her emotions getting the best of her as the emotional toll of the past few days finally took its hit.

"No! It's not okay! All this time I've been trying to help Jo and make sure that she knew other people mattered, and if disregard it, what does that show? I can't do anything at all. I'm always putting Jo in danger and she always has to save me. I'm not the only one in the world though. I…Jo...we could help so many more people…" Meg sobbed. Amy stared awkwardly as Sei looked to her for help.

"You know, Meg…" Sei started tentatively. "We help a lot of people doing what we do. And I know it's in your nature to want to help others, but…it's Jo's nature to help you. I just think that it's her view on the world. It's the only world she's ever known."

"It's my fault she's like this." Meg said tearfully, her face turning towards Jo as she watched the sleeping girl.

"Look, you idiot, this isn't anyone's fault! Nothing's wrong with you or Jo, ok?" Amy said angrily, speaking for the first time. "Get a grip. This isn't the first time one of you has been hurt, and it's not going to be the last. Jo will get better soon, and tonight she'll fight and win just like always." Amy scoffed. "You're so worried about something you have no idea about. I might not have lived with the two of you for a very long time, but obviously you're missing something Meg.

"Both you and Jo have changed since you've came here with us." Sei said, nodding. "For the better. It's been a rough couple of days, Meg. Why don't you try to get some rest, calm down a little bit. You're blowing this out of proportion." Sei's voice was gentle.

Meg pulled the blanket off of Jo. "I'm blowing it out of proportion?!" She cried. "Look at her, both of you! She's really hurt this time. The…that guy said that it was like she had thrown herself into the line of fire." All eyes were on Jo and the half placed bandages. "There are holes all over her, she was bleeding…you weren't there, you have no idea how much…pain…she was in."

"Meg. I'm not just saying this as a leader. I'm saying it as your friend. Your family." Sei said when she saw the turmoil Meg was going through.

"I'm not leaving her."

"You don't have to. Just stay here, and relax." Meg didn't answer, but laid next to Jo, stuffing herself into the couch as she maneuvered around Jo's wounds. Jo stirred a little, and Meg whispered something to her in her ear that made her visibly and relax and fall back asleep. Then, Meg put an arm over her and snuggled up into Jo, who seemingly returned the embrace simply by not pushing Meg away.

"They really do go well together." Sei said. "I'm worried though. These days have been hard on all of us, but Meg seems to be cracking a little."

"It's cause Jo isn't really 'with us' right now" Amy said ponderously. "She's a little out of it, in case you haven't noticed. You know how those two get when they're separated" She shrugged.

"You're right in that way. Still, I don't like this whole thing. It just doesn't feel right to me. There's nothing out there to suggest an attack from anything. The fact that something was on the loose and the fact that...well, the fact that Jo is so hurt doesn't seem right to me. Jo knows better than this!" Sei shook her head angrily.

"In a couple hours they'll both be awake. Meg will probably be a little saner and hopefully Jo will tell us what's going on. Kyohei's coming, we'll get a good meal and I'll go see if I can find out what was stomping around earlier. Go call your grandfather and see if he knows what's going on, and for the love of donuts get that dead guy away from the trailer." Amy spoke in a serious tone and Sei looked at her with an odd expression.

"What's gotten into you lately?" Sei asked.

"I talked with Meg the other night. I realize exactly what's going on Sei. This whole tournament is gonna tear us apart or bring us together. I'm not just gonna sit around and wait and hope everything turns out ok. I've been working with you since I can remember, and always you shove me off to the side or tell me to stay in the trailer. I can help Sei. I want to."

"I know you want to, and I know you can, but-"

"But what?"

"I don't want you to get hurt! Look at them!" Sei gestured to Meg and Jo. "Look at how much pain both of them are in right now. You think I want that to happen to you?"

"They're my family!" Amy yelled. "You and them are all I'm ever going to have! I'm not just gonna give it up. I know you have obligations to Bai-Lan, whatever. But I'm not you. And you're not the only one in my life anymore Sei. You're my big sister, my mother and my friend all rolled into one, and I love you. But Jo and Meg are all of those things too, and I love them. I don't have those obligations, and I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you and those things stop me from trying to help." Amy spoke wearily towards the end.

"Amy…" Sei said sadly.

"Look, don't…just do your best to help ok? And see if you can get another doctor out here. I'll print out some stuff on healing wounds and what not."

"Come here." Sei said, a hand to her forehead. Amy hesitantly stepped forward. Sei lifted her shirt to examine the wound, and Amy blushed. "You need a bandage."

"A little warning next time would be nice too." Amy huffed, but obliged to waiting as Sei reached for a cloth out of the strewn open medicine bag. Putting it on gently, Sei applied a careful amount of pressure as she wrapped it on. Nevertheless, Amy hissed as it made contact with the wound.

"Sorry. Does it hurt that badly?" Sei asked as she finished up.

"No it's fine. I'm just not used to it, that's all." Amy shrugged. "It was fun though. Reminds you of the old days, doesn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" Sei said laughingly. "What old days?"

"Back when we had to go on all of those missions. Of course we didn't get hurt as much, but then again…"

"We had Satsuma." Sei said quietly, the laughter dying in her eyes. There was a moment of pause.

"You know, Sei…I looked for some information about her the other day. There's still no confirmation that she…"

"Amy. I don't want to talk about it. I watched her die, ok? I know that there's no chance. Don't bring it up again." Sei's voice was colder than before, and Amy sighed sadly.

"Alright…I'll be in my room if you need me." She said dejectedly, walking away, her door closing with a quiet click. Sei sat back in a chair and watched Meg and Jo sleep. Once Jo woke up, she thought, it was going to be time for a little discussion.

Amy sat in her room pouring through file after file on the internet. She had printed out things already on how to take care of gunshot wounds-the information wasn't hard to find, but keeping it a secret from everyone out there was a job she could handle. It was already well known that Jo was an excellent fighter, and the legends ravaged themselves across the internet of the so called "Angel from Hell". That was the name Amy liked best anyway, not that she contributed to any of the bragging about the prized gunfighter that so happened to work for Bai-Lan and Bai-Lan only. For all the times RAPT had tried to take Jo out, Amy was fairly certain that some of it was out of anger for the fact that she wouldn't work for them.

It was by luck that they had stumbled onto each other, which was how it was with the entire group, even going back to her and Sei. Sei, the prominent granddaughter of the ever powerful Bai-Lan superior had quite literally stumbled onto Amy on day and took her home, much like a cute puppy or something.

"_Grandfather, Grandfather! Look!" Sei had said, dragging Amy by the hand, who could barely keep up at her much younger age._

"_Sei? What-What is this?" He had asked, in that kind, yet stern voice._

"_This is Amy, right?" Sei asked, looking back at Amy, who blushed and nodded in confirmation. "She can do all sorts of cool stuff with computers, but she doesn't have a home. I found her when I was wandering around outside."_

"_Computers, eh?" The man had peered down at Amy. "What exactly can you do?"_

"_I could read a whole book in binary if I wanted!" Amy eagerly bragged. "That's not all I can do though." Sei looked at her Grandfather and nodded._

"_She was hacking into RAPT when I found her." Sei said quietly. Amy turned to her outraged, like she had betrayed her trust- which was mildly true, since Sei had promised she wouldn't tell._

"_Only so my record would be erased. I got caught the other day, jeez. It wasn't like I was taking down their cybots or anything." Amy scoffed, humbled. "I've only been using computers off the street. They're junk. Anyone could trace something from there."_

"_Don't you have a family?" The old man asked. Amy shook her head no._

"_They got sick. I had to leave." Her voice was saddened._

"_Well then…"He pondered for a few minutes. "Sei." He said finally, and his granddaughter turned to him, nodding. "Since you found Amy here, it will be your responsibility to take care of her. Amy, would you like to stay here with Sei and I and help us with our cause?"_

"_Depends. What's in it for me?" She asked, ad both Sei and her grandfather got a surprised look on their faces before laughing._

"_We'll take care of you, and of course there'll be a salary involved if you wish, once you get assigned to a team in a few years." The Bai-Lan leader said._

"_I can handle it now." Amy said stubbornly._

"_Very well. Sei, congratulations. Here's the first member of your team." Sei's face went a deep red._

"_But Grandfather! I'm only 13. How am I supposed to do this?"_

"_My granddaughter, someday this entire organization will all belong to you. It is important that you serve your people before you rule them, that way you will understand the hardships one will go through. For now, you will stay here, along with Amy, in a separate compound. Together the two of you will need to find and manage to employ some more members for your team. I have faith in you Sei, and in your new-found asset-"_

"_She's my friend." Sei interrupted, to no avail as a stern look from her grandfather silenced her._

"_This only shows me you are ready for a new capability in this program. Now go, and serve your people well."_

"_I…very well. Thank you Grandfather." Sei bowed, and Amy, taking the cue, bowed as well. "Come on Amy. Let's go get your stuff from outside and set up our headquarters."_

It was from then on that Amy hadn't left Sei's side, picked up off the streets and thrust into the luxurious, yet cruel world that she had been a part of for all she lived. That was the first and last time she had spoken with the leader of the powerful company, and she wondered if he even remembered her and her childish antics. Amy sighed. The two of them lived in the compound with the rest of the bed-ridden or injured syndicates for 2 years, until Sei was fifteen and could (somewhat illegally) drive, which was when they had gotten the trailer with its large storage capacity and small living quarters. Amy had been 7 when they left the only home she could remember, and since then they had traveled around Tokyo and various parts of Japan searching for someone else to help them fight. Sei's level head made her an excellent decision maker, and Amy's tactical skills were highly valued, but the fighting techniques between the two of them were not nearly as good as they needed to be.

Then they found Satsuma but…Amy turned her head away from the screen as her eyes blurred. It hadn't been 2 years since the disappearance (Amy refused to say "death" of their teammate), and bringing it up with Sei obviously still wasn't an option. Jo and Meg still had no idea about what had happened before the two of them showed up, and Amy hoped that someday Sei would be able to tell them. It was her story after all.

Her musings were interrupted by a rapping on the door, which she slowly got up and answered to Sei's slightly panicked face.

"What's wrong?"

"The doctor that was outside…turns out he's some sort of trained assassin. Bai-Lan's boys are coming by to properly get rid of the body, but this tournament is turning out a lot more serious than I thought it was. Can you look up his name and see what comes up?" Sei asked, her demeanor back to its professional state.

"Come in, you can give me the details."

"Actually, I was wondering if we could do it in the kitchen. I want to keep a close eye on Meg and Jo, and make sure nothing else happens to them." Amy just nodded to Sei's request and grabbed her laptop, following her out.

Several extremely detailed search engines later, Sei and Amy had come up with some information on their mysterious assassin. He was a freelance killer, and his last job…well, obviously didn't go to well. The name of his employer wasn't listed though, much to Sei and Amy's disappointment.

"Well, it would have been too good to be true if we had found out who it was. I doubt we'll be able to uncover that until at least a little further on in this tournament. Whoever it is, they're pretty desperate already, and they're bound to screw it up soon." Amy said, shrugging. "Did you get a doctor yet?" She asked.

"Yes. He said he would be here soon."

"That's a relief. Jo's wounds really don't look that good."

"How did that happen?" Sei asked aloud. "It looks like a cybot did it or something."

"Probably that's what it was." Amy said. "I don't think Meg would let that other doctor in if they had already been ambushed by someone, don't you think?"

Sei nodded. "I'm interested in this, as is Grandfather."

"I don't know Sei. Why would he care all of a sudden? After we separated he barely noticed if anything went wrong, even if you got hurt."

"He was preparing me for my leadership." Sei said, affronted. "Jo is the best fighter Bai-Lan's got. If I was the leader, I'd care too."

"So you care now because…? You're the future leader, or you're her friend?" Amy sarcastically asked. Sei looked at her, irritated.

"Because they both are my friends Amy, and they're my family as well. As are you." Sei sighed. "Why are you bringing all of these things up now? The past is the past, let it be."

"Jo doesn't remember her past." Amy said suddenly. "Could you imagine not knowing your past? Not knowing what made you the person that you are. I remember my past and sure it's not the best but I like knowing what happened and what shaped me." She stopped when she saw Sei's face hanging downward, thinking she had gone too far.

"You've grown up on me, Amy." Sei said sadly. "I'm sorry. I've let you down. But there are things in my past that I want to forget." She stood up and walked towards her room. "Let the doctor and Kyo in when they get here. Don't get me until dinner or unless it's a real emergency." She shut her door softly, and Amy watched with saddened eyes.

Leaning back into a chair, Amy did what she always did. Rummaging through the cupboards, she pulled out a bag of poxy sticks and slowly chewed her way through as she waited for the doctor to come. There was one left when a knock on the door interrupted her musings. Glancing quickly at the still sleeping forms of Meg and Jo on the couch, Amy left the last one as she ran to the door.

"That one's for you, Meg…"She said as she passed her.

Throwing the door open in a state of breathless frenzy Amy looked up to see a tall man standing there with a worried expression on his face. "I was told there's a very injured girl here." He said. "I'm here to help."

"Thank god." Amy said, pulling him in and shutting the door. "She's there on the couch. The one with the silver hair."

"Alright then. It looks like she's received some medical attention already though."

"Just a couple of bandages. We're no surgeons." The man nodded as he set up his equipment, pulling out a large machine and several more bandages. He also placed some plaster in water and waited for it to set.

"I'll give you the rundown, but first I need to look her over. Could you wake her and her friend up?"

"Sure." Amy said. Walking past the doctor towards the couch, she poked Meg in the side, who grimaced and moved uncomfortably around. "Wake up you big lump. The doctor's here and I left a pocky stick for you on the kitchen table." Meg woke up at the mention of food.

"The doctor's here?" she asked before seeing the man. "Oh." She grinned sheepishly. "Hi. Sorry about that." The doctor grinned in response.

"It's fine. Rest and relaxation are very important for recovery, and your friend seems to be doing fine with that."

"I'm Meg. That's Amy-" She pointed to the warily watching girl. "And your patient is Jo."

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm a new doctor, just hired by Bai-Lan. I like the organization very much though. It fits in with my…not so new medical techniques. I don't like using all the equipment RAPT has out there; it's too easy to cut it off or track it, so imagine my relief when they said they were looking for someone like me. It's dangerous out there…" He looked at Jo. "As you all probably know. Anyway, if you'll just wake her up for me I'll give her a good look through and see what I can do. I was told there's a fight going on tonight she needs to be in."

"Yeah…do you think she'll be okay?"

"She'll live, but I'm against her fighting as of now." He sighed. Meg nodded and leaned over to Jo, whispering in her ear.

"Don't startle Jo; it's just me, Amy and the doctor. Wake up, please. I know you can. That psycho didn't beat you earlier, he didn't hurt me. I'm fine now, but I need you to wake up so we can make sure you're going to be ok."

Jo stirred, her eyes blearily looking at Meg. "I'll be fine." She murmured, signaling her awareness. "You're fine?" She asked, concerned as she struggled to sit up.

"Yes, Jo, I'm ok." She helped her sit up as the doctor came over.

"You're Jo, right? I've heard a lot about you." The doctor smiled nervously as he tried to get a reaction. Being new to the situation, and never having met Jo before, his face fell when a small "hnn" came from Jo's mouth in response.

"Come on Jo be nice, this guy's here to take care of you."

"So was that other guy." She grunted as he poked her side. "That hurts you know." He looked at her fearfully.

"How did you get all these wounds?"

"Long story." Jo yawned.

"Who was this other guy?"

"A fake doctor. Tried to kill me and mess around with Meg."

"What happened to him?"

"An unfortunate medical accident." Jo said testily.

"Well, I assure you, I'm a real doctor. I've heard some things about your fighting skills, especially from my uncle." Jo had lost interest in the conversation and stared off into space, but both Meg and Amy looked at each other and stepped into Jo's shoes.

"Who's your uncle?"

"The guy in charge of this tournament. I know about it because I helped set it up with Bai-Lan and such. He's been doing this sort of stuff underground, but on a smaller level. When I joined, I was told they needed someone to do this sort of thing. So I hooked him up with the job. He definitely owes me one for it." He chuckled.

"You mean…that fat guy?" Amy said incredulously.

The man chuckled. "You could call him that. Kaneshi's his name. I'm Takeru, by the way." He smiled. "He told me about how Jo here came in and blew away the competition…quite literally" Takeru nervously laughed.

"It wasn't a big deal…" Jo muttered.

"Wait, so your uncle has been bragging about Jo to people? Like, name-wise?" Meg burst out, her mind onto something

"I wouldn't really know, but he gave a decent physical description, and judging by the looks of it, there's no one else that really looks similar to her. It wasn't hard to figure out."

Meg looked at Amy with a worried glance. There was no telling how many people Kaneshi would have told, and how many people the word had gotten around to. Jo had always been known, but the high level stakes and the betting and followings of the underground districts meant that an infinite number of people could know that Jo was fighting in the tournament, making it easy for anyone holding a grudge to know where she was and what she was doing.

"You both look a little nervous. Is there a problem telling people about Jo?"

"There are just too many variables…" Amy thought out loud. "Jo, and the rest of us, recently have been targeted. That's how Jo got hurt. And how this doctor guy was able to come in and almost do more damage. The more people that know where she is and what's she doing only leads to more danger for all of us. We can't help it now." Amy sighed.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"We're used to it…" Meg waved her hand around. "People talk about us all the time." Amy poked her side.

"They talk about Jo because she shoots everything, me because I'm...well, amazing and Sei because she's the next in line for Bai-Lan. They don't talk about you." She laughed.

"Shut up brat!" Meg pouted. "A little help Jo?"

Jo remembered what happened last time she didn't stick up for Meg. "People talk." Meg nodded at Jo's short words and looked around as if daring anyone to challenge the authority that she so believed came with Jo's simple admission.

A sigh came from Takeru as he finished looking over Jo. "She's gonna need a cast for her arm and another on her leg, plus stitches in some of the chest wounds. The bandages stopped the bleeding, and it looks like she's been given a transfusion already, so she's clear on that." Meg subconsciously put a hand over the wound on her arm at the mention of the transfusion, which went unnoticed by everyone but Jo, who reached out for Meg's arm and took it in her hand.

"He did that to you, didn't he?" Jo asked in a quiet voice.

"It doesn't matter, you needed the blood and I was a match."

"He didn't do it right though. He hurt you."

"You took care of it already Jo. You took care of me." Jo stared into the blue hues of Meg's eyes, searching them for something she could use to her help.

"It's unforgivable." Jo turned her statement towards Takeru. "If you hurt her, it's unforgivable."

"Don't worry about that Jo; you don't need any more blood. We won't need Meg for anything else."

"She doesn't leave." Jo stated. "Or I won't let you get one step closer inside this trailer."

"Understood." He nodded to Meg. "Feel free to stay. You as well…Amy, right?" Amy nodded and he smiled. "It's not a problem at all."

"I should go tell Sei about what's going on…" Amy said nervously, though Meg and Jo didn't know why.

"Where is she anyway?" Meg asked, just now noticing the absence of their leader.

"In her room. She was busy."

"Probably talking to her grandfather." Meg sighed. "Go for it Amy. Good luck." Amy gulped as she headed down the hallway. Meg was in a better state than earlier, the question was whether Sei would be in a better mood.

Meg moved Jo to a sitting position and sat next to her on the couch. Jo tiredly rested her head on Meg's shoulder, and Meg gently stroked the soft white hair of the almost asleep girl.

"Looks like that fighting took a lot out of you Jo…" She whispered.

"I'm fine. I'll be able to fight later."

"With a broken arm and leg? I'm worried."

"I fight for you Meg. I always have." Jo yawned. "I can drive Jango with a hurt leg. Give me a cast and a crutch. I'll be fine."

"I know you'll be fine, but maybe you need more time."

"Three hours until sunset. I'm a fast healer."

"You get hurt pretty quickly too."

"All it took was one shot last time. That's all it'll take this time." Jo said stubbornly.

"I don't want you to fight Jo." Meg said sadly.

"I have to." Jo said, quieter than anything else and Meg had to strain her ears to hear her. "That way you'll stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere Jo. I'll never leave you." Meg reassured her tearfully, but her words fell on silent ears as Jo slept soundly once again.

**And there we have it! If you had any problems with the chapter or anything (frankly I'm worried about how some of you will take the newer, matured and far-less bratty Amy (but don't worry, the old less mature bratty one is still there :P ) please let me know. And please let me know if you loved it too! **

**Will Jo be able to fight in the night's match? Will Takeru find a way to help the girls? Will Sei's sanity ever be the same and the mysterious circumstances behind Satsuma's death be revealed? And, will Jo finally make some sense as to why she wants Meg to stay with her? Find out next time in the 10th chapter!**

**speechless93**


	10. Stained Glass

**I know, I know, I suck majorly for making everyone wait this long for the next chapter. Writer's block had its shining moment, along with several crossroads where things happened(or didn't happen) and making those executive decisions took some major day-dreaming time in school (and staring at the computer screen). Hopefully you all will be pleased with what happens- and yes there's more Meg and Jo time in this chapter :) A big thank you goes out to everyone who reads, reviews, or thinks about this story- you all are my motivation to keep going forward! Feel free to tell me what you think- any and all comments are appreciated. Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer (yes! I remembered this time)- I own nothing. If I did...the ending sequence would have a lot more Meg&Jo moments to show haha :)**

"Sounds like you all have been together for a while." Takeru said as he applied the cast to Jo's arm.

"We met up with Amy and Sei about a year ago. Jo and I have been together a lot longer though." Meg said, sniffling. "We've made it this far, so I'm pretty sure we can get through anything."

"She's pretty tough, it seems."

"That's an understatement. Jo's the strongest person I know. She's unstoppable if she gets mad."

"Looks like someone went a little gung-ho on her though. There are so many wounds in her stomach I'm surprised she's waking up and talking. Normally a person would be out for weeks with something like that. And you're going to have her fight tonight?"

"Don't say it like that. You heard her." Meg said, her voice reflecting a hint of anger. "She came and saved me…from...fighting…" Her eyes lit up. "Your uncle owes you one, right?" She said excitedly.

"Yeah." Takeru wasn't sure was Meg was going.

"Let me substitute for Jo tonight. I'll fight." There was a determined look in Meg's eyes that had rarely been seen before.

"Whoa. Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself there? I don't think everyone would be happy with that decision." He looked at Jo. "Especially her."

"Jo's saved my butt too many times to count. There's no way I'm just gonna let her go out there. I can fight just fine, if that's what you're trying to say." She glinted at him, eyes burning with intensity, the blue irises just as fierce as the hell-burning flames from Jo's.

"I'm sure you're strong enough." He quickly said. Leaning back he sighed. "Her arm's done. Now I need to get to her leg. Can you prop it up on the table?" Meg nodded, gently lifting Jo's leg and moving it. Takeru marveled at how Jo stayed asleep through the whole thing, when she was awake minutes before. "How does she…"

"She knows it me somehow. It doesn't bother her…" Meg shrugged. "Don't try to get off topic though!" She fumed.

"I'm not, I'm not. But you should talk it over."

"Talk what over?" Meg and Takeru jumped as they turned to see Sei standing in the doorway, Amy behind her.

"I'm fighting tonight." Meg said forcefully, standing up so she looked Sei almost in the eyes. Sei's eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you serious?" Amy asked. "Your fighting is what got us into this mess! And you think Jo is gonna let you go out there?"

"Amy's right Meg." There was a pause after Sei said this as everyone digested the information that Sei had agreed with Amy. "Partially anyway. Especially about Jo. I doubt after what happened today she'll be willing to let you out of her sight, nevertheless fight."

"Well, I'm not letting her fight." Meg said stubbornly. "So someone's not going to end up happy either way."

"You think you can stop Jo from fighting?" Amy said incredulously. "Why not try telling a fish it doesn't need water?"

"Do you want Jo to fight?" Meg asked. "Do you? Are both of you that willing to let her go out there? Probably to die? We all know that she's hurt. A broken arm, a broken leg, over half of her ribs cracked. We've been in tight binds before but this is the first time something has happened like this. We can't give her backup while she's out there fighting; someone's got to fight for Jo for once. That's exactly what I plan on doing."

"Look, Meg, I don't want Jo to fight. I don't want you to fight either. This whole thing has led to so much trouble…and I don't like it. It's scary and stupid and…" Amy pouted. "I'm on your side here!"

"There's always going to be fighting Meg. Jo, and you, and the rest of us- we will all have to fight. You cannot prolong something that will always happen. Even if Jo does not fight tonight, I doubt that tomorrow she'll be in any better shape than she is now." Sei crossed her arms assumingly.

"So? What are you trying to say?"

"Jo will not let you fight! Can't you see that? She will do all of this to make you not have to fight and then you're just going to throw yourself into it in front of her?"

"D-Don't make it like that. That's not at all what I'm trying to do! I'm trying to protect her."

"Look, ladies-" Takeru interrupted. "If I may suggest. Meg, you are willing to fight for Jo here?" He asked hesitantly, stopping when Meg and Sei both glared at him.

"Yes." Meg said, huffing, speaking more to Sei than to him. Sei "hmph"ed and scowled.

"Jo's asleep. And going to be sleeping for a while. On top of all the wounds, it's simply a process of working through trauma and stress, which I take you all have been under for quite a while. Why don't you just…not tell her?"

The three girls stood around stupidly as the thought digested in their heads. Meg, shamed, admitted to herself that it was a good idea, as long as Jo didn't find out. Amy looked at Sei, who seemed lost in thought.

"How did that get past you?" Amy asked incredulously. "Is this whole starting to "care what other people think" thing going to your head or something?" Meg giggled, but stopped as Sei turned her glare on her.

"Well Meg, I suppose you think it's a great idea, don't you?" Sei smirked as Meg scowled.

"It's not great, but it's a solution."

"And what happens if Jo wakes up? You and I both know that there is no way any of us could keep her here."

"I don't know, but it's the best idea we've got. Takeru's right, Jo hasn't been sleeping well the past few days and I'm pretty sure last night wasn't enough to make her better."

"Really Meg, because you know so much about how Jo sleeps at night, what with you being on the other side of the room and all, snoring away like the lump you are." Amy teased, stressing certain words that caused Sei's face to blanch as she struggled to hold in laughter.

"Hey, I've known Jo a lot longer than all of you; I've seen how she sleeps…" Meg pouted, sinking onto the couch next to Jo, bouncing the other girl slightly, who moaned in protest. Meg turned to her quickly, putting a hand on the sweaty forehead. She reached for the blanket and wiped it gently. "Sorry Jo…" she spoke quietly. The others watched and realized that they couldn't tell exactly what it was Meg was sorry for.

"Go ahead." Sei sighed. "This isn't going to end well, but there's no stopping you Meg. If Jo gets wind of it though, I make no guarantees. That's up to you."

Meg looked up at Sei with determined eyes. "I won't lose."

Sei looked at Jo, watching her move restlessly. "You better not."

What the girls didn't know what that their arguing added on with Meg's jolt onto the couch was causing Jo to stir, and she looked hazily around as she fought to focus on what was going on. Everything ached as she breathed unsteadily, feeling the pressure on her ribs as her lungs shakily expanded and contracted. Her arm felt heavy and she turned slightly to see the bandages and sling wrapped around it. Sighing, she shut her eyes again as she tuned in to what was going on. Meg's agitated presence next to her made her aware that something was going on she needed to be included in.

"We need to make preparations." Sei said. "Please tell me that your guns aren't with Leo."

"They're not. We had that job last week and I didn't get a chance to fix them up." Jo startled silently when Meg answered. She had thought that Sei was speaking to her, realizing she was awake, but from the looks of it, no one was the wiser.

"Good." Sei sighed, sitting onto the chair across from the couch. "Go start getting ready. Kyohei will be here soon. I'll have him make something for when you get back. Are you sure you're up for this?"

"I'm positive." Jo felt the loss of warmth as Meg stood up. "Look at me; I'm not hurt at all."

"I meant mentally. It's been a couple of rough days."

"I'm fine. After all, I'm going out there to fight for the girl I love." She smiled sadly at Sei, and disappeared into her room.

"Amy. I need you to go make some security enhancements for the area. Do you understand what I mean?" Sei asked, refusing to look at anyone, her eyes glued to the ground as her hands held up her head.

"No problem." Amy gave a mock salute, hoping to cheer her up. When Sei didn't even lift her head, Amy slunk off to her room.

"Takeru, I'm sorry you had to see this. Normally we don't have problems like this."

Takeru scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Frankly, I don't see anything wrong here at all. You all are trying to help your…" He paused, thinking back to Meg's words. "Friend." He finished awkwardly.

Sei gave a small chuckle as she finally picked her head up. "That's something new to all of us, trust me."

"Look, I probably should get going. I'm gonna go try to find my uncle and get him to allow the switch. If you need anything, just call me though, ok?" He handed her a slip of paper with his number, which Sei accepted gracefully. He was halfway out the door before Sei called out to him.

"We…are in your debt." She bowed low. Still embarrassed, he looked out the door, blushing.

"It's not a big deal." He stepped all the way out. "I'll see you tonight, I suppose." The door behind him shut softly. Sei watched it for a minute then sat down on the chair across from Jo.

Jo was in a state of mild shock, an emotion that, while rare, was not unknown to the silver-haired girl. Love. The word ran through her mind like a clock, every second matching her beating heart. Meg. Love. Meg. Love. That was the rhythm of her life. Her eyes shot open, unable to take the internal struggle anymore.

"Jo. You're awake." Sei said, extremely surprised. "Takeru said you'd be out for a while."

"Takeru?" Jo uttered stupidly, out of it not only from her injuries but from the sudden revelation.

"The doctor, Jo." Sei sighed. "Anyway, you should really be resting. You only just woke up, so it should be easy to go back to sleep." Jo realized that Sei, and in that sense, no one else, knew she was awake for Meg's revelation.

"I…had a dream." She said, stalling for time.

"A bad dream?" Sei asked, one eyebrow raised in intrigue. "I didn't know you had dreams." Jo remembered Meg saying that only the night before-_ when she was right there next to me, the night before when she held me close and I felt at peace, the night before, that night, together, is that love, is that what it is??_- Her mind went wild with the remembrance.

"Sei." Jo stared her down, the question fresh in her mind. "What is love?"

For a second Sei forgot how to breathe. Of all the things for Jo to ask, of all times, this was not the best one. The fact that the word even existed in Jo's vocabulary was enough of a shock to the system, although, Sei reasoned, hanging around with Meg for years might cause that to happen. Was there a chance that Jo was awake earlier? No, there couldn't be. After all, Sei thought, there would be no way Jo would just sit there and let Meg walk away, knowing she was going to fight.

"What is love?" Sei repeated, breathing again. "You don't know what love is?"

"Would I ask you otherwise?" Jo said, struggling to sit up. Sei got up and helped her, watching carefully as the younger girl winced when her injured areas were moved. Meg was right in her knowledge of wounds, concerning Jo of course.

"I'm surprised that Meg never told you about it."

"Meg says she loves food and kittens." Jo said, red eyes staring down Sei. "Somehow I doubt that's love."

"Well, Jo, I'm probably not the best person to ask these things. Love means a lot of things to a lot of different people."

"What's love to you?" Jo's voice was innocent, and Sei had no choice but to sit back down across from her. Although Jo was naturally stoic, she was hardly serious or intent about anything other than maiming and violence. Not even her horror movies got her this engrossed.

"Well, even I have different views on love. It's not something that's defined really. A definition would be something like…caring for someone on a deeper level than normal relationships. Like family. You love your family."

"So you and Amy are my family." Jo said.

"We are?" Sei said, more surprised than before.

"I live with you. Eat meals together. That's what a family is, right?"

"Where do you see things like that?" Sei asked. Jo scowled and looked down.

"It's on the TV. Plus, back with Meg when we first met….with those kids. That was her family. Plus, she says it sometimes. That you two are our family."

"Well, Amy and I feel the same way about the two of you." Sei smiled at Jo, with little effect.

"There's more though, isn't there." Jo wondered aloud.

"Of course there is. The thing about love though, is that you don't always know what it is, or what it means. You just know that it's there, in your heart, for someone."

"Someone?"

"Yes. People want to be with other people, no matter what they say Jo. Remember that. Love is just…being with someone that knows you and will never leave you. Someone who's willing to fight for you and support you, and someone who means more to you than anyone else in the whole world."

"Were you ever in love Sei?" Jo asked quietly.

"Once. Before you and Meg showed up." Sei smiled sadly. Jo sat in silence, waiting for more to come. When nothing did, she sighed and leaned back.

"I will never fall in love." Jo said quietly.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I bring death, and destruction. Because my body is a tool for killing people. I would only hurt someone, even if I cared about them. I don't even know how to do that."

"That's because humans don't know how to care for people. They just do."

"I am not human."

"Contrary to belief you are." Sei smiled. "And people care about you as well. I care about you, as does Amy. And of course Meg cares about you. She always has."

"Meg is different." Jo stated.

"Yes, she is. She's different to all of us, isn't she?"

"Not like that. She is…not like you and Amy. If you two are my family, that means I care about you." Jo spoke her thoughts as they came to her head, her logical analysis going through what they had talked about. "I care about Meg though…but not in the same way. She is not my family, not now. She might have been earlier, but not now." Jo's face was puzzled.

"I'm sure Meg does not see you as family either Jo." Sei said kindly. "You two have an interesting dynamic."

"I don't know what we are." Jo said. "We are not family, and we are not friends. And all those things you said earlier, those are things that we do. Things I have always done, and will do."

"You shot the TV."

"That has nothing to do with it!" Jo flustered, her face going red as Sei looked on amusedly.

"Do you love her, Jo?" Sei asked her.

"Am I allowed to?" Jo asked in return, looking at Sei with defeated red eyes. "After everything I've put her through existing with me, am I allowed to have love at all? Can I experience that emotion?"

"Humans were made to love." Sei said quietly. "Someone told me that once."

"Meg though. She deserves better than me."

"Why don't you let Meg decide that?" Sei gently spoke, getting up to Jo. Hesitantly, she placed a hand on Jo's forehead, sweeping her silvery bangs and her hair. "You don't have to decide right now whether or not you love her. You don't have to come out and say anything. Just continuing living your life and being the person you are. That's all that we ask of you."

"If that is love, Sei..." Jo paused, her eyes closing to the soothing motion of Sei's hand. It felt like Meg, holding her. All that was missing was that flash of red, that scent of her perfume…it wasn't Meg at all. Jo reached up and put a hand over Sei's, stopping it as she lifted the hand off of her head. "You are not Meg." She said quietly.

"I know. But I love you Jo, all the same."

"I love her." Jo sighed. "Meg." She said her name quietly, her voice carrying the most emotion Sei had ever heard. She watched as Jo passed back into a peaceful slumber, her face etched with confusion, although the semblance of peace found there as well reassured Sei. Perhaps there was more hope than previously thought for the two of them.

A knock at the door- Sei realized that there were many interruptions as soon as there was a moment of peace- brought Sei out of the reflective moment and she went to open it, finding a chef at the door.

"Hey Sei." Kyohei smiled up at her.

"Kyohei, you're finally here." Sei smiled, opening up the door. He followed her in, eyes gazing around the trailer as they did every time he came, searching for something new or, in some cases, things he should stay away from (he had learned his lesson about Jo being inside when watching her horror movies) and he was not disappointed.

"What happened to Jo?" He asked quietly as he saw the sleeping girl. Kyohei had grown used to the fact that Jo was considered unstoppable in almost every aspect of fighting.

"We don't know. She's sleeping right now, and Meg was out of the way while fighting, so she doesn't know what happened either."

"Was this from the tournament you were telling me about?"

"It might be related, but we don't really know. Meg and Jo were out earlier today while Amy and I were out trying to find you and some supplies. In fact, if you wouldn't mind, we bought some food- not a lot, but Amy's been complaining all day, and I'm sure Meg would like some food when she gets back from the fight. Jo could use some too, now that I think about it. Soup is good for sick people, right?" Sei asked as she went off into a tangent. Kyohei awkwardly butted in.

"I don't think soup is going to help Jo much, Sei."

"Well, I've got to go check up on Meg."

"Why? You said she didn't get hurt."

"She's fighting for Jo tonight." Sei said as Kyohei gasped.

"And Jo's letting her?"

"Jo doesn't know." There was a pause as Kyohei digested the information.

"Sei, if she finds out while you all are gone, there's no way-"

"It's fine. You won't have to try and keep her here. The most hopeful solution is that this is done quickly and easily and Jo is none the wiser." Kyohei visibly relaxed.

"I'll go get to work…" He murmured shyly. "Jo will be okay, right?"

"We will get through this somehow." Sei said, both of them knowing it wasn't a reassuring answer. There wasn't one though, to Kyohei's question. For all of the scared behaviors he had, Kyohei, Sei thought, was someone who grow into the empathetic sort of man people loved. Sei walked to Amy's room, knocking once before letting herself in, the shut door isolating the group members from each other.

Not that it would last long. Meg came out of room dressed in full gear, her blue hat hanging on her back as she walked steadily into the room where Jo was. She sat down next to the girl. She wondered what had possessed her to come back here. She supposed it was the thought of Jo not knowing what she was doing that bugged her. Sei's words had hit home earlier and she shied away at the remembrance of them. Her emotions were too worked up now for her to be doing this, but here she was, telling the one girl who wouldn't want her to leave that she was going.

"Jo…" she whispered quietly. "Jo…wake up." She put a hand on her forehead, doing the almost exact same thing Sei was doing earlier. Jo, in her sleep, heard Meg's voice say her name softly, and she shuddered with an unknown feeling as she slowly awakened. The touch on her forehead…that smell was Meg, but she was different, tenser, more aware of what she doing- Jo could feel her fingers tensing in her hair as she smoothed it away.

"Meg…"She murmured, and Meg was almost overtaken by the gentleness of Jo's voice in that one word.

"Jo please. I have to go. I promise I'll come back though, ok? I promise."

"You'll get hurt, if you leave." Jo said automatically, thinking back to the previous days.

"Jo." Meg choked up. "I can't let you get hurt. That's why I'm going."

"You're fighting." Jo said, with the resigned air of someone who had lost an argument.

"Yes." Meg said. "Are you mad at me?"

"I can't stop you Meg, from doing what you want." Jo said, tiredly. Her conversation with Sei had done little to ease her fears when it came to Meg and the absence of her presence someday, if it ever would happen.

"I don't want to fight. I don't want any more fighting." Meg said, nearly in tears.

"I will always have to fight." Jo said.

"Not always Jo. Because I'm fighting now." Meg said determinedly. "You told me, Jo, that day, that you fight for me. And now I'm going to try and repay back some of the debts I owe you."

"You owe me nothing."

"I owe you everything." Meg said as she leaned down towards Jo's face. Jo blinked and her breathing increased. She was so close to her, with that red curtain of her hair draped over her like so many times before, but this was so much more different.

"Meg…" Jo said her name again, unsure of what else to do. Meg's breath reached her ear as she whispered delicately into it.

"I will never leave you. When I get back, once I've won, we won't let something like this happen again. I promise Jo. I will never leave you." Jo sighed in response as she wrapped her good arm around Meg, holding her tightly. Meg stroked it, pulling back, as she stared into Jo's eyes. The fierce red hue that had always surrounded them was fading, slowly, as Meg saw something in them she had never seen before.

"If they hurt you, it is unforgivable." Jo said, repeating her earlier words. "I will find them. I will drag them down to hell with me."

"Shhhh, Jo, it'll be fine. One shot, remember?" Meg smiled sadly.

"Why did you tell me this?" Jo asked. "You would have been gone and I would never have known if you didn't wake me up."

"I just…I didn't want to lie to you. Even though earlier, you were all against me going…I guess maybe I wanted you to fight with me about it, and tell me you didn't want me to go."

"I don't want you to go." Jo said flatly. "Last time I fought with you, you could have died."

"What are y-"

"It was my fault. I don't deserve to talk with you. I've broken my own oath."

"Jo, what are you talking about?"

"I swore I would never let you get hurt. That I would never put you in harm's way."

"Jo, I chose to do this. I want to stay with you, even though I know there's going to be danger and terrible things. And for this one night, I have to go. I can't sit on the sidelines and let you put yourself out there in danger, not when I could take those blows for you." Meg pleaded quietly.

"You don't have to stay." Jo said. "I am a demon from hell. I don't deserve anything from anyone."

"Jo, that's not true. That's nowhere near the truth! When you first came, with Shirley, she kept telling us all with that book that you were an angel Jo. That you were going to save us all from that life we were living. And you did. You saved us all. Shirley, and the others, they have a family now, a real one. And I have you. And even if you are from hell, even if you were cast away by the Devil himself, well then, you're an angel from hell. You're my angel, and whether all you bring with you to this world is destruction and catastrophe, at least you've got an accomplice in whatever it is you'll do. I'm by no means any better than you Jo. And I'll do whatever it takes to ensure the two of us survive."

Jo sat in silence as Meg calmed down from her rant. An angel from hell….the name was fitting, she supposed, with her silver hair and wing shaped tattoos. She had seen pictures, and mosaics, when traveling with Meg on their way to Tokyo. Stopping in churches, though Jo had no idea why they did it, Meg had pointed out the stained glass linings on the walls and studied them, to a point where Jo was wondering why they were still there. Churches made her uneasy. They were too peaceful, too open, too trusting. It was a dangerous place, with its open spaces and hidden passageways-indeed Jo had spent more time keeping watch for anything bad rather than observing the same things Meg watched.

"The churches…" Jo said, reminiscing. "Why the churches?"

"I used to pray for our safety…" Meg said sheepishly. "Even though I didn't really believe in God and things like that all that much. It was to explain your presence. I don't know why you showed up one day with us, what sort of fate or divine intervention brought us together. I wanted to see too, if you were an angel. I thought there'd be a picture on the wall or something."

"Those places were dangerous. It was too open."

"It's a church. There isn't supposed to be violence in them."

"You liked to look at the windows."

"Stained glass. They were pretty." Meg smiled. "The kids and I used to talk about what we'd want in a house. I always wanted stained glass windows."

"Why? Glass breaks easily, it's fragile."

"Yes, but the color never fades. And the fact that it's delicate makes it more beautiful."

"We'll get them someday, then." Jo said with a final tone. "Stained glass windows." She turned to Meg, eyes staring her down. Meg understood what Jo was trying to say, in that awkward roundabout way she developed whenever her emotions, or thought processes, whatever it was in her head, went through something she didn't want to admit. She leaned down towards Jo one more time, hugging the girl.

"We will not break." She said quietly. "Do you understand?"

"I still don't want you to go."

"And I still don't want to. But I'm going, and you're staying here, and no matter what the other says, that's the way it's going to be." Meg sighed. "Promise me you won't do anything reckless or stupid. No typical Jo maneuvers. Stay here, please."

Jo looked down at the cast on her leg, then back at Meg. "I'm not exactly in the position to get up and go for a run now, am I?"

"Well, someone must be feeling better, was that sarcasm I heard just then?" Meg teased trying to lighten the mood. Jo scowled and looked away.

"Come home…safe, ok?" Jo said quietly, still not looking at Meg. Meg got up and walked towards the door, pulling out her large bazooka from the side closet.

"I will." Meg nodded, before stepping out the door. She could feel Jo's eyes on her; she could tell that same look was in her eyes as before. She shook her head slightly. She couldn't think of Jo being different right now. She needed to see her in her mind as the pillar of strength she had relied on, she needed to see with her own eyes the power that Jo had, just so she could hope to emulate it.

She was no Jo, that was for sure, and she knew that all the people out there were expecting the mysterious girl from last night, wanting to see if anything would change at all from the standard set by her. Quickly, and easily, was becoming the most obvious way to win. Showboating and grandeur would offer little help, and Meg, who oftentimes relied on that fact in her enemies, felt no more secure about fighting than she did the other night. Of course, as she shifted the bazooka in her arms, the fact of the much larger gun she was holding helped a lot as well.

It was going to be get in, shoot fast, aim well, and leave. Of course, this entire thing wouldn't even work unless Takeru had convinced his uncle to allow the switch, and Meg was fairly confident that the doctor could do it.

She smiled as she saw the young doctor standing around the meeting area, where the contestants were milling around, eyes always warily watching in case of any surprise attacks. Takeru waved her over, a small smile on his face.

"My uncle said it would be okay. He said that the whole saga between the two brought a ton of money in from the crowds and betting. To not let you compete would make him lose money, he said." Takeru laughed. "Are you ready?"

"No. I really don't want to do this. I'd rather be at home with Jo." Meg sighed. "The quicker this gets done, though, the quicker I can get back. So that's about the only good thing. I'm starving too." She whined. "I haven't had anything since lunch and it's been an eventful day."

"I'm sure. But it's almost over now." Takeru said absentmindedly. Meg looked at the setting sun.

"Yep. Everything's almost over."

Sei had sunk onto Amy's bed after going to check on the girl, and the said hacker rushed over to check on the drained girl.

"I don't think I can do this Amy. It's too familiar."

"Sei, we're much better prepared this time. I've rigged some of the electrical wires in the buildings nearby to explode if needed. If anyone tries anything, we can create a distraction and get Meg out quickly." Amy scowled. "Pull yourself together. This is about Meg right now, and Jo, not your irrational fears."

"It is about them! I don't want to see them die."

"They won't. It's not like last time, I told you already. There's no war now, no rival factions fighting for domination. It's peaceful, for lack of a better term. It's just one fight, so get through it ok? Tomorrow we'll take a day off or something, all of us." Amy sat down next to Sei. "I can't help you anymore Sei. I'm not Satsuma. And no one can ever be her. But you have to know that you can help yourself. She wouldn't want you to be living in this fear all the time. Don't you want to look her in the eye and tell her about the leader you've managed to become?"

"I won't be in the same place as her."

"What are you talking about?"

"She's in heaven. I doubt I'll ever get there." Sei sighed. "I've done too many things."

"Hey. You're a good person. And she's not in heaven." Amy got up and opened the door, pointing out the small window that had brilliant shades of colors dancing through from the sunset. "There's a beautiful world out there Sei. Both of you lived in it once. And I'm sure you can find your way back to it again."

She looked up into Sei's face as she felt the older girl wrap her arms around her from behind, hugging her. Sei caught her gaze and smiled sadly.

"You believe it so wholly, that she's not dead."

"I don't understand how you've given up so quickly." Amy shrugged Sei off. "Anyway, we better get going. Considering Jo will be unable to watch Meg tonight, that leaves the two of us as babysitters."

"And Kyohei will keep an eye on Jo." Sei said, smirking. Amy' s face lit up as she ran ahead of Sei into the kitchen, bursting open the door with such a loud clatter that Kyohei gave a girlish scream and dropped the empty pan he was holding.

"Kyohei! Give me some food!" Amy yelled, a serious look on her face.

"A-amy?" He stuttered. "But, I don't have anything fully prepared-"

"I don't care! I'm starving! God, what made you think you could not be here as quickly as possible? I gotta eat! C'mon, don't you have any snacks or cookies or something?"

"Well, I mean, I have some stuff from class earlier. Jeez Amy, I have to go to school you know, otherwise-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, so you can travel abroad and become a world famous patisserie I know I know. But you work for us, and Sei gives you the money to go to school and to work here, so fork it over." Amy thrust out her hand. Kyohei looked helplessly to Sei, who simply shrugged her shoulders. It was better for her that Amy be fed and mildly content while they sat, as opposed to being whiny and irritating because of the lack of food.

"Sorry Kyohei, she's got a point." Kyohei gave a characteristic whine as he slumped over to the counter and his bag, dejectedly pulling out the small bag of cookies lying within. Before he had even fully turned back to the girls, Amy had snatched them out of his hand and was merrily skipping out of the kitchen.

"Wait- Amy! Those were supposed to be for everyone!" He called futilely.

"Forget it. Let her have them." Sei smiled. "It'll keep her quiet for a bit. Things should be quiet around here too. Jo's still sleeping, so no worries about that. If she wakes up, just give her something to eat and tell her that the TV's all hers."

"Sounds too easy to me." Kyohei fretted.

Sei patted him on the back. "Don't take it for granted. Just hope everything works out ok." She peered into the pots on the stove. "That looks good."

"Thanks." Kyohei said. There was a pause, in which Sei's stomach growled loudly. She blushed embarrassedly and went to follow Amy.

"Right. Well then, see you when we get back." She said, shuffling out the door. Kyohei stared for a minute before shaking his head and turning back to his pots. If only he had quit while he had the chance echoed faintly through his mind.

The crowd was raucous as Meg stepped into the arena, her hands nervously clutching the gun. The previously gruff Kaneshi had seemingly changed his ways towards the group of girls, though whether it was Jo's near beating of him before or the fact that his nephew was coercing him into it, Meg had no idea.

Her opponent was a wiry thin man with glasses that he shoved up his face as he brought out a rifle. Meg watched with a mix of pity and amusement.

"Alright, rules are the same. Play fair. Withdrawal can come at any time, otherwise, its death." Kaneshi bowed and stepped out of the ring. Meg aimed carefully with her bazooka, while the man fiddled with his gun. Locked in her sights, she went to pull the trigger, when the man disappeared. Stunned, she moved out of the viewfinder, narrowly missing the bullet past his head.

The crowd gasped as Meg rolled to the ground, protecting her head as more shots rang off. Her gun covered most of her body, and she fired off rapid rounds like a machine gun across the arena, defending and attacking at the same time. There was a blurring stop, and she was face to face with the man again.

"You're fast." She gasped.

"So you've noticed…" He said back, winded.

Meg fired off a shot as he finished speaking, but he ducked it quickly and went off again, running around so fast Meg could hardly tell where he was. A bullet shot off and she instinctively ducked, and seconds later, felt a searing pain seize through her arm. Turning, she saw the graze that the bullet mark had left her, a shallow wound that bled easily. The crowd gasped as she fell to the ground, unaccustomed to the pain. The man stopped again.

"I knew you would duck. You're too predictable in your movements." He rolled his eyes. "Statistically speaking, you don't stand a chance." He knelt down to her level. "Why don't you just give up?"

"No!" Meg yelled, punching him in the face with an uppercut that sent him flying. "I'll never give up!"

He chuckled, getting up from the ground as he wiped the dirt and blood off his face. "Well, at least you'll make it interesting."

Meg fired off another round of shots that chased the blur around the arena. Unlike her previous attacks, this time she ran around as well, chasing after the blur in a show of agility both Sei and Amy were surprised to see.

"He was wrong, you know." Amy whispered over to Sei. "Statistically speaking, he knows nothing about Meg and what she can do. A new enemy gives you no advantage. It's a mind game he's trying to play." Sei nodded as they continued watching.

"Hopefully Meg won't be affected."

"Nah, I'm sure Jo brags like that all the time." Amy giggled. She winced as Meg took a blow to the head, knocking her down. Turning to Sei, she saw the same worried look on her face.

"Still. When we were talking about getting things done quick," They watched as Meg got a lucky foot out that tripped the man to the ground. "I didn't exactly mean it like this."

Meg stood over the man, glaring. "This is it." She pulled the gun to his face. "Give up, or I'll kill you."

"You'd kill an innocent man?" He said between breaths, looking into her face.

"You're no more innocent than me." Meg spat out. "Don't compare your reasons here to mine."

"I'm here to support myself. I need the money."

"This isn't the way to do it."

"And what makes you so special?"

"I'm nothing special. But I'm here to protect the most important person in the world to me." Meg's eyes narrowed, picturing red eyes in pain watching her. "And I'll do what it takes to make sure that happens."

"I'll never give up."

"Then it was nice to know you." Closing her eyes, and looking away, Meg pulled the trigger. There was a gasp from the crowd and Meg opened her eyes only to find the man behind her, a knife at her neck.

"You stupid girl." He chuckled. "You should have given up right from the start. You're slow. You're stupid. You fight for what? Love? Love never wins." He pressed the blade into her neck, and a small line of blood formed from it.

"Meg!"

"No!"

Both Sei and Amy jumped out of their seats. Sei looked at Amy with panic on her face, and in response, Amy nodded slightly as she curled her hand around the button she was holding in her hand.

"Don't. Not yet." Takeru said as both girls jumped to see him standing next to them. "I think Meg can get out of this."

"We're not losing anyone else!" Sei said emotionally. "Not again."

"Relax." Takeru placed a hand on Sei's arm. "Have faith in your fighter."

Meanwhile, Meg was breathing shallowly as she stood perfectly still. She could feel the blood trickling down her neck. One false move and the knife would slice her like a hot knife to butter.

"Are you going to give up, or not?" He asked, his hot breath creeping into her ears. Meg shuddered as she flashed back to Odeko and what had happened only moments earlier.

"Stop!" Meg screeched, as she kicked a leg out behind her, knocking the man away, hitting him in the balls, as the knife sliced her still, though avoiding her jugular.

"Bitch!" He scowled, chucking the knife at her. Meg flicked it away with her gun, advancing menacingly towards the man.

"I will never give up! Do you understand? Never! I'll never give up!" She shot him in the legs, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. "Try to run now, you sick bastard." She put the gun to his face.

"Meg!" Sei's voice rang out clear across the silent stadium. "Don't Meg! You don't have to go that far!"

"Go on Meg." The man leered. "Go. Go all the way. Let your love prove itself."

Meg's hand shook with the gun in them. Her eyes were peering through the scope and all she could see was the outline of one of the man's eyes as the main focus of the scope was directed at his forehead. One bullet would end it, kill the man and make a bloody spectacle of him, showing everyone that she was not to be messed with, and neither was Jo.

The name brought red to Meg's eyes (literally) as she was consumed with anger- anger over what had happened with Jo getting hurt, with the pain she was in, anger with Odeko and what he had tried to do, and anger with Sei and Amy for getting them all into this mess, and anger with herself for not being able to control everything.

"Give up." Meg said, her face tilted so that the man couldn't see her eyes. "Give up now." Her voice was expressionless.

"I'll never give up." He mocked. "But you're right in this case, I have no other choice unless I'm willing to die. You win this round." He looked at his legs. "I can't even feel them. You've got a pretty good shot there. At least the government'll pay for the surgery."

"Leave this place. If I or Jo ever see you again, you won't survive the day."

"Then why let me go?"

"Because Jo will kill you when she finds out you hurt me. You're living on borrowed time now." Meg chuckled lowly. "Sucks for you."

"Well, girl, you've got mercy for a lousy scumbag like me." He sighed, raising a hand in the air. "I surrender!" He called out for the stadium to hear.

"Meg is the winner!" Kaneshi called out, stepping into the ring with a bunch of medics who carried off the man.

"Meg, eh?" He called out as he was getting put on the stretcher. "The name's Hanacho, if you wanna tell your friend Jo while she comes to get me."

"Hanacho." Meg said quietly. "I'll remember that."

Suddenly, Meg was tackled as Amy ran into her, nearly knocking her over. "Meg! You won! And you didn't even need any karate skills like last time! You really are like that tiger when you put your mind to it!" Amy hugged her tightly. Meg softened as she returned the embrace.

"Thanks Amy." She looked behind her to see Sei with a hand on her shoulder and a smile on her face.

"You did it, Meg." Sei said, half-exuberant, half-relieved. "I was worried for a second there you were gonna shoot him."

"I was." Meg looked at the night sky. "But I don't think Jo would have wanted me to, you know?"

"I think Jo would have wanted you to survive!" Amy said, climbing off of Meg. "Jeez that guy had a knife to your neck and you just stood there."

"Yeah, well." Meg grinned sheepishly as she rubbed her hand on the back of her neck. "I was thinking up a plan- oh!" She remarked as she pulled her hand back to find blood on it. Sei and Amy stared at it as well.

Takeru interrupted their staring with a loud and clear congrats to Meg, who jumped slightly but relaxed afterward as the kind doctor offered to patch her up right there.

"I don't think Jo'd be very happy to find you at home with blood," He explained as he wrapped a bandage around it, and the arm wound. "They're both shallow wounds, so they'll heal quickly."

"Thanks Takeru. I really owe you one, for everything tonight."

He waved her off. "Don't worry about it. Just focus on getting Jo and yourself better. While tonight was great- really, you had a interesting fight with Hanacho up there-"

"Wait, you know him?"

"Yeah. He's a friend of my uncle. He always fights in these things but end up withdrawing all the time. Even though technically it means he's disgraced, he's not a professional fighter, so my uncle will let him continue to fight."

"He's fast."

"Yeah." Takeru chuckled. "He steals stuff, but gives it away a lot of the time. He's a pretty good guy, but he's had his heart broken too many times. So he's become a bit more selfish and desperate nowadays. I'm glad he didn't hurt you anymore though."

"I'm glad I didn't have to kill him." Meg sighed. "Right now, I just want to go home."

"Please. You want to see Jo." Amy teased, peering out from behind Sei.

"Brat." Meg scowled, whacking her softly on the arm. "So what if I want to see Jo? You just want to get back so Kyohei will cook you something. I saw you eating those cookies too! But did you save one for me? No, of course not!"

Sei walked behind as Meg and Amy bickered back to the trailer after saying goodbye to Takeru and assuring him that it would be fine if he came back to check on Jo tomorrow, and that it would be perfectly fine if he stayed for lunch as well.

When Sei watched from the doorway as Amy and Meg ran into the trailer, she saw Jo's eyes snap open and turn immediately to Meg, giving her the once over. She saw the slight frown that formed on her face as she saw the bandages, and the look that was shared between the two of them as she caught Meg's eye. She saw Meg slowly sit down next to Jo, who struggled slightly to make room, and smiled gracefully as she saw Meg help Jo get comfortable. She watched as Jo threw the blanket that was on her onto Meg, and she saw the same look in both their eyes as Meg settled down next to Jo, presumably to tell her about what went on. Jo looked at Sei for a minute, and Sei understood that Jo had known all along, and that consciously she let Meg go, not, thankfully, blaming Sei for what occurred.

And as Sei followed Amy into the kitchen, past Meg resting on Jo's shoulder with her eyes closed, and Jo's eyes on the girl, Sei realized just what it was she was seeing in the myriad of colors and emotions in the two girls eyes, stained on like imprints that would never fade.

Love certainly had found its way to the trailer again.

**Alright then, Chapter 10 (OMG) is complete! Thanks again to everyone who reads, reviews, or just thinks about this thing! Feel free to comment :)**

**Next chapter- well, I'm off to slay the monster known as writers block, so hopefully, hopefully, dear god please! It'll be up sooner than the last couple have been.**


	11. I Believe

**I realize I'm kinda like the worst person in the world for everyone who's been wanting to read more of this story. I have no excuse for the wait really, except that this story needed a break to get the creativity flowing back into it. That coupled with the beginning of my junior year in high school means I've had practically no time whatsoever to do anything except homework. But I'm back now, with a brand new-chapter (and half of the next one already written :P ) for you all to enjoy. Thank you so much to everyone who's read, reviewed and thought about the story at all. I'm sure all the positive karma has really helped. As always, please enjoy, and feel free to message me with any questions, comments, or concerns. You all are the best**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, or deadlines would have obviously had me finish this sooner.**

They sat around the dinner table, Kyohei looking on as he put generous amounts of food on everyone's plates. "I figured you guys would all be hungry, so I made extra for tonight" He put on a smile as he glanced around the table, taking the seat nearest the kitchen. Jo and Meg sat across from each other, and as Amy took her place next to Meg, stealing a piece of chicken off the girl's plate even though hers was full, Kyohei smiled to himself.

"Thanks Kyohei." Sei smiled at him, before politely picking up a fork as she began to eat. "What did you make for us tonight anyway?"

"Well, we've been studying Italian dishes so I made some chicken parmesan with fresh pasta and sauce." He said, then grimaced as Jo reached for the bottle of hot sauce always present on the table and dumped it over, swirling it around with her chopsticks. "Generally it's not supposed to be spicy." Jo looked over at him tiredly and grunted before eating.

"Tastes fine to me." She drawled, as her hand fought to twirl the spaghetti onto the chopsticks they had. Eating was harder with one hand than it looked. Watching in what she thought was a sneaky manner, Meg noticed the struggle and wordlessly got up to the kitchen, rummaging around in the drawers until she found what she was looking for.

"Here." She said with a smile, as she placed a fork in front of Jo. Jo stared between the fork and the chopsticks for a few seconds before decidedly chucking the chopsticks to the garbage bin and picking up the fork and continuing to eat. Her mouth towards her plate, she murmured a quiet thanks and Meg simply broadened her smile in response.

Amy and Sei simply looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders comically, continuing to eat.

"Alright guys, we need to discuss tomorrow." Sei said as they sat around digesting after they had finished inhaling all the food Kyohei had cooked.

"There's nothing to discuss." Meg said testily, glaring at Sei.

"Relax Meg, I didn't mean it like that. The fact is, Jo needs to rest, she needs someone to look after her and based on what happened today we need to figure out a plan."

"Doesn't sound like we need a plan." Jo mumbled, yawning.

"We still need supplies, and we still have jobs to do. I just don't know if I can leave you guys knowing…" Sei's voice trailed off.

"Knowing what? We can take care of ourselves." Meg said, affronted. "Jeez Sei, since when did it matter to you?"

"It always mattered!" Sei's voice was angry as she stared across the kitchen. "I'm worried!"

"Well don't be. I can fight." Meg said.

"So can I." Jo mumbled again, a little agitated at being left out of a conversation that had to do with fighting.

"Look, Sei why don't we all just relax tomorrow? You can make phone calls from here. Jo isn't going anywhere, which means neither is Meg, and I can access pretty much anything." Amy suggested, yawning. "I'm exhausted anyway."

Amy's yawn proved infectious as Jo yawned widely next, too out of it to realize exactly what it was she was doing. Meg giggled as she looked at Jo, who stared tiredly back, completely content to gaze at the girl. Her previous revelation had done nothing to change her previous habits, which involved being awake enough (and generally polite and gentle enough) to deal with Meg at all hours of the day.

"We're gonna go to bed now." Meg said, still giggling as she helped Jo up, who silently went with her. Leaning on her shoulder, Jo gave in to the slightly sweet smell of Meg's hair and perfume and closed her eyes, resting on the girl.

Meg laid Jo gently down onto the bed, carefully trying to avoid putting pressure on the bruises and the ribs that were broken.

"How do you feel Jo?" She asked quietly, as Jo groaned while trying to get undressed.

"Better." She said testily as she felt her ribs groan in protest as she tried to take her shirt off. "Dammit." She cursed silently when she was unable to do it.

"Here." Meg said, taking a deep breath as she took off Jo's shirt, leaving the half-naked girl in front of her. Meg turned quickly to get Jo's more obvious choice of clothing- those oversize t-shirts that she lazed around in. It wasn't like she hadn't seen Jo like that before. She had seen those tanned muscles, the eight-pack hidden under her jacket, and the small-

Meg stopped herself as she gently lowered the shirt onto Jo. No use thinking about things like that nowadays. Jo looked gratefully at Meg, their eyes locking before Jo dragged her foot into the bed, leaving the covers thrown off in that half-askew way that Meg found her in often when she woke up before the silver-haired girl.

"Are you staying tonight?" Jo asked quietly, her eyes staring at the ceiling.

Meg fought with herself for a second before climbing around Jo and placing herself in the niche between the rapidly falling asleep girl and the cool wall of the trailer. She grabbed one of Jo's shirts and put it on silently. Her back hit the cool wall, though, and she hissed. Jo's eyes immediately snapped open as she turned to stare at Meg, who grinned, embarrassed as she quietly explained.

"The trailer's cold." She chuckled, looking back at Jo with soft eyes. "I'm fine."

Jo closed her eyes, again, though not before tugging on Meg's wrist and pulling her down next to her. Her hand calmly ran up Megs arm until she heard the telltale intake of breath when she reached the spot the doctor had injected earlier. Meg's other hand closed around Jo's.

"I'm okay Jo. It doesn't really hurt at all."

"I don't care." Jo said sleepily. "I wasn't able to protect you. Not to mention…" Her other hand reached up towards Megs face, brushing the bandage wrapped on her neck. "Tonight. I wasn't able to protect you." She repeated.

"Jo now's not the time for any of this. We've been stuck in this ideal for too long. I won't just sit around and let you fight all the time." Meg snuggled into Jo, who wrapped an arm around the other girl, conceding Meg's point.

"Who was it?"

"His name is Hanacho." Jo committed the name to memory. "And you don't have to go out looking for him. He knows if you find him what will happen."

"How?"

"I told him that because I didn't kill him, you would. Because he hurt me. He seemed to get it." Meg chuckled.

"I don't understand why you're laughing." Jo said, a little angrily. "This man tried to kill you."

"Don't be so angry Jo. The two of us had a discussion, plus Takeru-"

Jo interrupted Meg with a snort as she grumbled lowly.

"What? Jo?"

"Nothing." Jo shifted uncomfortably.

"Don't go after anyone Jo. He knows what will happen if he shows up again." Meg pressed herself into Jo, lightly inhaling the fresh scent of laundry detergent and the faint traces of gunpowder and smoke that accompanied her no matter where she went.

Jo's mind went into another spiral of unknowing-ness as she felt Meg press up against her. She could feel every curve of the younger girl's body against her back, along with the warmth that came from it. She looked silently at the door in front of her, feeling a warmth rise through her body. She breathed shakily and Meg seemed to not notice the difference.

If this was love, well, Jo wasn't sure how she felt about it. Everything was so warm. Then again, she had had a fever all day and she had no idea if it had gone down or not. Meg seemed to notice Jo's unusual behavior as her request got no answer, not even a grunt of noncommitance from the stoic girl.

"Jo? Are you okay?" Meg asked quietly, sitting up and peering over. Jo sighed as the pressure lifted off her, though the warmth remained. She pressed a hand to Jo's forehead.

"Your hand is cold." Jo said quietly.

"No, Jo, I think you've got a fever. You're burning up." Meg said worriedly.

"And just what do you plan to do?" Jo yawned. "I feel fine." Meg stared at her.

"But you're not." She frowned slightly, pouting.

"It's late." Jo yawned. "I'm going to bed."

"I think you should get some medicine. I bet Takeru has some." Meg didn't see Jo scowl at the mention of the doctor's name.

"I'm fine." Jo said testily. Meg bit her lip, but knew that once Jo was stubborn about something, she would never give up.

"If you're not better in the morning, you're getting some medicine from him." Meg said, sighing as her hand trailed down Jo's face. The brush of Meg's hand made Jo shudder with a feeling unknown to her.

"Fine." Jo whispered, still feeling the after-effects of Meg's touch.

"Are you okay, Jo? With all of this, with everything?" Meg asked quietly, unsure of what Jo would end up saying.

"I'm okay with you." Jo said just as quiet as Meg had been.

And with that, there was nothing left to say. Meg's hand froze as it cupped the other girls face. She left it there for a moment, Jo breathing quietly onto it as they froze a moment in time, both of them staring deep into the others eyes.

But Jo was never one to lose a staring contest, and eventually, Meg slowly broke it, and laid back down next to Jo, snuggling the other girl as she wrapped her arms tentatively around her. When Jo made no protest, Meg relaxed into the other girl, and slowly fell asleep.

What Meg didn't see was the quiet relaxation take over Jo as she felt Meg's arms around her, and the quiet of her breaths on her back.

It was still, that night.

* * *

Meg rose before Jo, her face etched in a smile not only from dreaming, but from waking up to the familiar back of the girl in front of her. From Meg's point of view, the back of Jo was a sight she had seen many times, as she would run up to the girl from behind, grabbing her hand as she would smile at her as she peered around the slightly taller shoulder to the naturally stoic face that, to Meg, would seem to soften just the slightest.

She disentangled herself gently from the girl, and thought she would be able to make it out before Jo blearily opened her eyes and called her name softly. She turned, unable to pretend she didn't hear the girl.

"Good morning Jo." She smiled pleasantly at the other girl, wondering why Jo was so coherent and talking to her in the morning. Meg had far grown used to the grunts and nods that accompanied Jo from the time she woke up to about the time she went back to bed. In fact, Jo had been conversing much more like a normal person than usual, and while it surprised Meg, she couldn't help but feel calmness wash over her.

"It's early." Jo complained, her eyes watching Meg walk back towards the bed.

"Not really. It's late for you." Meg sat down next to Jo, and helped her sit up. She noticed the stiffness of her movements, and caught the edged look Jo gave towards the appendages covered in casts and bandages. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine." Jo said quietly, feeling stupid for calling Meg over and making her stay next to her. Still, she couldn't deny to herself the calm that washed over as she felt Meg's body lean against hers, or the wistfulness that came when she helped moved her cast-covered leg, filling her with the odd desire to rip off the cast so that Meg's touch (which Jo always knew instinctively) would be felt.

Then again, there was the cool press of her hand on Jo's forehead, and the close proximity of her face as Jo recognized clear blue oceans staring concernedly at her. "You're still a little warm." Meg said worriedly. "I really think you should get some medicine." Jo blankly stared at Meg, knowing she didn't need to voice her obvious disapproval of Meg's outline for action. "At least tell him." Jo scowled in agreement, and accepted Meg's help as she walked out of their room towards the kitchen and the living room.

Amy and Sei were already out there, writing things down on a piece of paper and obviously having a detailed discussion about it as Meg walked in with Jo, who had opted to bring the crutches with her; after all, it'd be more than likely that she'd "accidentally" hit the doctor in the shins with them.

It wasn't that she didn't like doctors, after all, doctors had helped them out of a lot of scrapes before, and Jo knew that they were fairly important in the sense of the world. She didn't have a fear of needles, like Meg did, but Jo wasn't kind to the idea of hospitals. It was too white, too clean. And while being on the job all the time meant getting injured, both Meg, and more silently, Jo, were glad that most injuries involved a table in a bunker underground or sleeping on the couch as the house doctor called.

"Ah." Sei said with a smile, glancing up from the table. "Good morning you two. How are you both feeling?"

Jo's eyes narrowed slightly in irritation at the perky voice so soon after waking up, her head still turned downwards as she relied on Meg's support. She slid in after Meg onto the couch around the kitchen table.

"Jo's got a fever. Where's Takeru?" Needless to say, the mention of the doctor's name did little to put Jo in a happier mood.

"He's in the guest room." Amy said as she picked up a piece of whatever it was Kyohei had cooked for breakfast. Meg paid little attention to the words though, as she lunged for one of Kyohei's "masterpieces". Jo coughed quietly and Meg turned to her, a piece of toast half hanging out of mouth as she seemed to remember what it was she had asked about.

"I don't have a fever." Jo said quietly.

"Yes you do." Meg said, staring down Jo.

They were interrupted as Amy smacked a hand onto Jo's forehead, causing both the girls to flinch backward. Jo turned, suddenly enraged as she went to get up, only to find herself hindered by the gentle hand of Sei. She turned.

"She just slapped me!" Jo seethed.

"I was taking your temperature." Amy said in that immature voice that only served to irritate Jo further.

"Jo, Amy was just concerned, right?" Kyohei's voice broke through the tense situation, which didn't help at all.

Jo looked around from Amy, who was nonchalant, Sei, who was warning Jo with her eyes not to do anything stupid, and Kyohei, who looked like he was about to wet his pants. Jo turned to Meg sitting next to her, a worried expression on her face. Immediately, Jo calmed as she focused on the red-head.

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly as Meg snapped up in sudden attention.

"Nothing, it's just…I'm worried Jo. You really do have a fever, and I think you need medicine." Meg spoke in a quiet voice. Jo froze at the tone and paused for a few seconds. She brushed Sei's hand off of her, sent one more scathing look Amy's way, and stiffly sat back down next to Meg, refusing to look the girl in the eyes.

She was embarrassed, and she had no idea why.

"Fine." She muttered. "I'll take the damn medicine." Jo could feel Meg's eyes on her, but didn't turn her head back up until she had felt Meg's hand stroke her arm gently before running off the one of the many spare bedrooms in the trailer.

Both Amy and Sei were giving her knowing looks and she growled lowly at them to shut up. Sei took her hand off Jo's arm and gave her a plate filled with food.

"Here. Eat up, it'll help you get better." Sei said.

"I'm fine." Jo continued to say, but ate up anyway. Like Meg, she wasn't one to refuse food, not when it had been hard to find in her past.

It wasn't long before Meg came back, practically dragging the doctor alongside her. He rubbed his eyes sleepily as Meg pushed him down next to Jo, who, quietly scooted farther away.

"What's going on?" Takeru said sleepily.

"I already told you! Jo has a fever, you need to take her temperature and find out what's wrong with her and give her medicine! Weren't you listening?" Meg huffed. "You know, for a doctor you're not all that sharp."

"Gee, give me a break, you just barged in and woke me up." Takeru grumped. There was a sudden shock as the rest of the team realized what had happened. It was common and a well known fact to simply take one of Meg's small tirade's in stride, because they all knew how easily worked up the girl got and how most of the time she was just taking out irritation. That, and no one wanted to contradict her when Jo was around, because she was the girl with the guns and the hard attitude, especially concerning her partner.

Takeru glanced nervously around at the sudden silence and happened to stare directly into the face of the girl next to him. Cold red eyes stared him down and he gulped.

"Meg woke you up because she was concerned about me." Jo said lowly. "If you have a problem with that, feel free to take it up with me." She showed her teeth in a fake smile.

Takeru decided to not go down that path but rather stuffed a thermometer in between Jo's teeth. The room froze.

"Now let me do whatever it was that I woken up for." Jo looked at Meg for permission to beat the crap out of the guy sitting next to her, but Meg shook her head slightly and smiled. Jo sighed angrily, and slouched in the chair. This guy was really getting on her nerves.

"Hmm…" Takeru hummed as he pulled out the thermometer. "You do have a slight fever. Any aches or pains?" He asked, fully in his medical mode. Jo stared blankly at him. She had gotten chewed up and spit out by a giant cybot the previous day. Her arm and leg were broken, along with some of her ribs. This guy was a moron.

"What do you think?" Jo's voice easily conveyed her irritableness and Sei and Amy sighed while Meg huffed, crossing her arms and sitting down across from Jo, forcing the other girl to look straight at her as she placed a hand under Jo's chin and turned her head.

"I know you're not happy about any of this, but please Jo, for me, just let Takeru make sure you're okay." Meg said softly, her kindness returning as she stared almost dreamily into Jo's face, her eyes locked on the red orbs in front of her. Jo stared back, her previous thoughts about Meg slowly returning to the surface as she looked into the face of the girl she had been with for so long, noticing so many more things than before.

"Fine." She said quietly, a kind tone in her voice not often heard. Amy turned to Sei and made a small cracking motion and she mouthed the word "whipped", to which Sei hid a smile. Meg, who didn't notice it along with Jo, which was a good thing, smiled and smoothed Jo's hair with her hand, running it gently down Jo's face. This made Jo shiver involuntarily, however the good doctor took it as another sign of her sickness.

"So a temperature, chills…I'm going to put you on some antibiotics. I'm worried you may be getting an infection."

"I heal fast." Jo said stubbornly. A look from Meg though, caused her to speak again. "But fine. Like I said, I'll take the damn medicine." She pushed the rest of her plate to Meg, telling her quietly to eat, and with that, the matter was closed.

After Jo had taken the medicine and everyone had eaten, Sei stood stiffly up as she announced the plans for today.

"Day off. Everyone's taking a break. No missions, no fighting. Everyone is staying here and relaxing."

Meg turned to Amy and whispered to her. "Thanks for letting Sei giving us a day off."

"It was her idea." Amy said truthfully. "I was surprised too."

"Anyway, if you two are done talking," Sei said pointedly towards the duo, "We can continue. Jo, no fighting, Amy, take a break from that computer screen, Meg…"Sei paused. "Keep an eye on everyone."

"Whaaa?" Meg complained. "Why do I have to play baby-sitter? Aren't you taking the day off too?"

"I have business to attend to." Sei said, with a weary tone. Jo looked up, mildly intrigued.

"Is it those Bai-Lan bas-"

"No." Sei's voice had taken on a hurt and depressed tone. "It is a personal matter." She paused. "Kyohei, you're welcome to stay all day, I'm sure the girls would love it if you could stick around. Takeru, if you think that Jo will be fine after giving her the medicine, you're free to leave. Just keep our location silent."

"I'll stay Sei." Kyohei chuckled nervously. "It's not a problem."

"I have matters to attend to as well." Takeru said. "So I'll be taking my leave."

"Good riddance." Jo "humph"-ed quietly. She winced as she felt Meg kick her under the table.

"Be nice." She whispered.

Sei left with Takeru, as the girls watched from the kitchen table, Kyohei standing apprehensively in the background. As soon as the door shut, Jo stared down the medicine lying on the table in front of her. Takeru had left it with Meg with very explicit directions, namely, making sure she took it whether it involved shoving it down her throat or not.

"Hey…" Meg said drawing Jo out of her thoughts. "You don't think those two have a...thing going on, do you?"

"A thing?" Jo repeated, staring at Meg like the girl had another head.

"You know, like a little lovey-dovey situation going on?" Meg's eyes sparkled, as Jo looked on, confused.

"Wait. But you two…" Jo couldn't stop the words coming out of her mouth, wondering why she had opened it in the first place. She sounded ridiculous, and besides what did she care if Meg and that medicine man got together.

"Who? What?" Meg said, dumbstruck. "Me? And who? Takeru? Eww, Jo, no, I hate doctors, they freak me out.

"But you. And him." Jo continued to ramble. "And…everything…"

"Jo, where are you getting these ideas? I swear, you're watching way too much late night T.V" Meg smiled kindly at Jo, who was still mildly bewildered. She sputtered out, not really knowing why her mouth had chosen that of all times to disobey her mind.

"I just…"

"Jo. Relax." Meg said simply, taking advantage of Jo's open mouth by stuffing medicine down it. Jo swallowed it, grimacing as she narrowed her eyes at the red head smiling in front of her. Meg smoothed the top of Jo's head. "You're too cute." She bubbled. "C'mon I know you want to go watch T.V." She stood, helping Jo up. She passed her the crutches while aiming a well placed kick at Amy, who was sneakily trying to trip Meg and in the process Jo.

"Ow, that hurt!' She complained, lying back down on the seat melodramatically. Kyohei poked his head out of the kitchen at the sudden development, but returned to the kitchen when Meg shot a look in his direction.

"Well quit trying to trip people then!" Meg bickered, nearly dropping Jo onto the ground, who turned, shocked towards the girl above her. Meg looked down and smiled apologetically, to which Jo merely scowled.

Amy ran to the kitchen and spun Kyohei around so he could see the other two from out the opening. "Aren't they just adorable together?" She asked sweetly. Kyohei, sensing a trap, answered gently.

"Well, I mean, I guess. They finally did it then, huh?" He asked, getting more pleased with himself for not being the last to figure something out.

"No. They're not together." Amy said bluntly. Kyohei quickly shushed her, alarmed.

"Amy! Jo will freak if she hears us saying this stuff!"

"Nah, relax Kyo, she's way too engrossed in Meg to pay attention to us." Amy laughed. Kyo looked towards the girls only to find the conclusion that Amy was right. Meg was gently laying Jo on the couch and subsequently sitting next to her as she handed Jo the remote control.

Both Amy and Kyohei knew what would happen in the span of about five minutes, and sure enough their ears were greeted with a piercing scream from Meg as Jo chuckled lowly under her breath.

"Oh, Jo, couldn't you put something else on other than horror movies?" Meg complained, hiding her eyes.

"I could." Jo teased, something she rarely did. Half of the enjoyment she got from watching the movies wasn't the slight scare factor, even though it didn't really scare her at all; but actually watching Meg react to the scenes somehow put Jo in a relaxful, almost pleasant mood.

"At least something with a little less mutant creepiness, we get enough of that working."

"And?" Jo asked, not seeing the point.

"Today is supposed to be a day off! God we haven't had one in forever!" Meg whined to Jo.

"Fine." Jo clicked the channels around until she stopped on the beginning of a movie she enjoyed.

"What is this?" Meg asked, suspicious. She warily watched the screen, before recognizing the landscape in front of her. "Wait, is that what I think it is?"

"The old stomping grounds…" Jo muttered, watching the screen.

"Where'd you get an expression like that?" Meg amusedly asked. "Still…" She fondly looked at the screen. "New York. Back where we first met. Wow. This movie must be old."

"It is." Jo said.

"You've seen it before?"

"A couple times."

"Well, what's it called?" Meg asked, settling in as she leaned on Jo, practically snuggling. Jo found herself with no objection to the nearness of Meg, rather, she admitted almost embarrassedly to herself, she enjoyed it. Caught up in her own moment, it took a gentle prodding from Meg to realize she hadn't answered the question.

"The Godfather." She looked at Meg, eyes questioning. "Want to watch it?"

"Oh look Jo." Meg sighed dreamily, watching the movie. "A wedding…isn't it pretty?" Jo just sighed in response.

For one who had never seemed into any sort of physical sort of affection, save for her cuddling nature with the silver-haired warrior, Meg seemed to be drawn instantaneously to anything with a happy ending, in Jo's view. Of course, Jo thought that any ending where you didn't die would turn out to be a happy one. Still, Meg's innocent view was sometimes endearing, though mainly annoying, considering its interference with her normal habits, which consisted of fighting, killing, and watching horror movies where a good ending would be considered making it back until the next B-rated sequel was made. It had happened on more than one occasion that she would be right in the middle of a killing spree with cornstarch syrup flying everywhere when Meg would plunk down next to her, complain for a few seconds while hiding her eyes (never seeming to hear her mutter that it was faker than the action they saw everyday) and either leave or continue to pester her to turn it off and put on some romantic comedy of sorts that bored her enough to warrant a nap in the middle of Meg's mindless rambling.

However, Jo reflected, it was more often than not that she would simply hand the remote to Meg and sit contently through the episode of Magic Sparkle Land or some other crap that Meg enjoyed.

Not that she enjoyed watching it. She just…well, Jo had to say it was she enjoyed the girls company.

Amy and Kyohei both looked out of the kitchen when five minutes had gone by without a scream or complaint from Meg about Jo's viewing choices. Amy had to hold back laughter as she saw Jo practically snuggling on the couch next to Meg, both of them talking in low voices.

"It's like they forgot there are other people here." Amy said laughingly. "Their own little private date world."

Kyohei studied them more carefully for a moment before answering Amy. "It's always been like that though. Those two have always had that idea of separation from the rest of us."

"Well duh, come on Kyo, they've been together since Jo can literally remember!" Amy laughed quietly. "I wonder what it was like for them when they were back in New York…" She wondered aloud. "It must have been lonely."

"I doubt those two ever felt lonely around each other." Kyohei said.

* * *

Sei knelt gently down in the long grass surrounding the gravesite. The peaceful park and calming nature of the area had always done wonders on the young girls' troubled mind before, when she had ventured to seek solace and comfort from the smooth ivory and ebony of the gravestones. She rubbed a hand slowly over the sleek surfaces, her fingers tracing into the memorized arcs and curves of her parents names. She had memorized the words written there so easily when she was younger, but they always meant nothing to her. The memories of her parents were few and far between, blurry faces and murmuring voices and a warmth that no blanket could replace.

Sei couldn't remember why she had gone, and what had made her leave the trailer. She thought only of Jo and Meg as she sat in the grass. She thought of them and how close they were to being something Sei had experienced all too briefly. Something her parents had experienced all too briefly. As Sei grew up, she knew the changes in the world, she knew the difference between all the dreams she would have and the realities that would be. Sooner than she wanted, she would lead the organization that had crushed nearly everything she loved, and the sense of tradition would permit her no changes in the way things were run.

Her grandfather had never been cruel, had never been violent, but he was never kind and never warm like Sei remembered her parents to be. He had instilled in Sei many of her values, and she knew she was grateful for that. She liked her morals. She liked her sense of duty and loyalty to her family.

It was her family that was the problem though. All her life, she had called the man grandfather, she had lived the idea that blood was thicker than water and she didn't realize why she had always deferred to the man. She realized suddenly, that over all the years of running and fighting, her entire ideal had shifted into the mindframe of her trailermates. Amy. Jo. Meg. Those three girls had lived with Sei, had been with her, talked, joked, survived through all situations with her. They had done more for her than her grandfather had ever promised. So why did she feel such a strong attachment to the company that she had worked for all her life; the people and faces were nothing more than strangers to her, yet, they had always been her family. Or that was what her grandfather had always said. Still, Sei thought, if it came down to choosing between one side or the other, what could she do? Would she throw away everything she had ever known for the sake of those smiling (or in Jo's case, mildly interested at best) girls faces waiting for her? Or would she leave them in her wake as she moved on to lead her company with an iron fist over all, dictating tradition and boundaries and rules like her grandfather had, something she had dreamed of doing ever since she was little?

She looked towards her parents graves for advice. They had chosen each other, and they had chosen their company. They managed to find a balance and a harmony between the two, though it ended in death. Sei had known firsthand the price to pay for loving someone. She was lucky her fate hadn't been the same as her parents.

She got up from the grave with a sigh, coming to the realization that almost nothing had been achieved since she left the trailer. She supposed, for the first time in a long time, she just needed to get some air and fresh perspective. She heard a voice in her mind speak quietly to her, _"Sometimes, kid, you just gotta sit back and breath." _Sei looked up towards the sky.

"Guess you're right about that one Satsuma."

Sei looked out towards the rolling hills marked every so often by silent reminders of all the pain in the world and she walked confidently among them as she returned back to the main roads. She had walked there in a sour, damp mood, but she returned with a realization of what she needed to do. Amy was right. It was time to come clean. It was time to share everything with her family about what had happened and why everything happening now made her feel so out of control. She would not lie about what she did not know. She would be scared with them as they all watched Jo fight. She would laugh with Amy about Meg and Jo and she would wait so hopefully for the moment they prayed for. She would give in to Amy's pleas that maybe the rumors were true.

Sei had made her choice. She would choose her own path from now on.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jo was starting to regret her choice in movies. After listening to Meg go between gushing, hiding and pointing out odd things that no one else would never notice, Jo came to realization that she should have stuck with a movie with one genre so that way she would know what reaction to expect out of the girl sitting next to her.

"I wonder if Sei's grandfather does that…" Meg mused, looking over at Jo. Jo shifted her attention towards the screen, watching the part. Don Corleone sat at his desk, stroking a huge cat.

"He sits at a desk?" Jo asked in return.

"No, I mean the cat! Do you think he's got a cat? It seems like a typical mob boss sort of thing."

"I don't think it's quite like that."

"We should get one."

"No." Jo said sternly, looking over at Meg, who had donned her puppy eyes and sad face.

"We should get one for Sei."

"No." Amy said, walking in the room. "Sei doesn't want any pets around here. She thinks they're smelly."

"But kittens are so cute!" Meg protested.

"They're smelly." Jo and Amy said at the same time.

"And a hassle to take care of, especially with moving around all the time." Amy continued. "We had a dog once, before we had to move around as much." She mused, thinking it over. "He was a stray, but loyal enough nonetheless. Sei really liked him."

"Aw. See Jo, Sei's a big softie after all." She looked back at the screen. They sat in silence for a few minutes as they all watched it. Amy, disinterested in anything not involving a large amount of technology, left the room to head back to her computer. Jo, thinking it was safe, relaxed and shut her eyes quietly.

"I'll change it if you fall asleep." Meg teased quietly. Jo's eyes snapped open as she stared blankly at the screen.

Jo became unable to keep her head up and longer. She laid on Meg's shoulder, sniffing in the smell of her shampoo. It had been a while since they had genuinely relaxed and Jo felt as ease sitting next to the girl.

As if by some sort of magic, she felt a rush rise to her cheeks as her mind went back to all the previous thoughts she had been having about the younger girl nearly glued to her right now. Jo felt like Meg would never leave her mind; there was always something in everything that reminded her of the girl or something she did or even something she said.

Meg dictated her actions and her thoughts. And yet, she acted as she always had, before whatever powers that had been had revealed all these feelings to her. Nothing had changed, except for the fact that Jo was faced with one very startling and mind-altering idea. She was in love. In love with the girl sitting next to her, in love with the girl since the day she saved her, always living her life to protect and care for Meg, for that face and smile and warmth of a human being Jo had never had before. But there was no change. There was no waking up one morning and deciding that it was how she felt. It was words to a feeling she had always had.

And Jo had no idea what to do about it. In normal life, in any other life, she would…what? Woo the girl? Court Meg? Take her on dates and shower her with flowers to prove her affection? She wanted to feel something more. She liked it when Meg would take her hand and pull her along. She liked it when Meg would embrace her in her arms. She liked drying the tears off of the girl and reassuring her that everything would be okay. She loved that part of her life as much as she did fighting.

And fighting was so much easier than all of this. Fighting took guns and targets and shots and lined everything up and in a second, boom, everything was done, taken care of, have a nice night and see you tomorrow. But Meg was all those little moments. Meg was the glow of the after battle; Meg was the warm shower afterward and comfortable bed. Meg was the reason for it all.

Jo wanted to kiss her. That thought scared her for the smallest amount of time. But it was normal, she reasoned. You want to do that with the people you love. She had watched enough TV (and she had none other to thank than Meg for providing the outlet to real world for her when they had been trapped in houses hiding from people) and she had seen the real world through her observational eyes.

But still. There was the chance of making Meg leave by doing that. Jo knew that relationships between two people who were the same gender were not as accepted as other relationships. She knew that it wasn't normal to feel that way. She knew Meg might not be the same. Then again, Jo would be dammed if she lost Meg to some wuss like Kyohei or the doctor simply because she didn't try.

Because when it came to Meg, Jo would never give up.

Thunder crackled and Meg jumped, though the noise was low and far away, a rumbling reminder. "Oh no. I really don't want it to rain tonight." She complained.

"Why?"

The pause was awkward to say the least. Meg's face blushed red and Jo looked away embarrassedly.

"Don't be worried or anything." Jo muttered. "I'll be fine."

"I know, I mean, you're the best there is," At this Jo felt a warmth rush through her of pride. "But," Meg continued, "It won't make you any better."

"I'll take care of it quickly." Another peal of thunder crashed and Meg jumped again. Jo looked at her, mildly amused. "I thought you weren't scared of storms anymore."

"I'm not! I was just…taken by surprise, that's all." Jo gave her a look that clearly showed her disbelief but, in a move that shocked the both of them, took her good arm and stretched it over the shoulders of Meg's back, drawing the girl close to her, their sides touching. Meg's head instantly landed on Jo's shoulder as she automatically reacted to the comforting gesture.

"Don't worry Meg." Jo said quietly.

They sat in silence and waited for the storm to come, watching the movie as much as they were secretly watching the other person.

Amy and Kyohei sighed from their spy hideout in the kitchen.

"This is boring." Amy complained. "Can't they just do something already?" She heard sniffles and looked over to see Kyohei dabbing at his eyes with his apron. "What the….are you crying?" She asked, her face breaking into huge grin.

Kyohei scowled. "No, I'm not," He protested as he sniffled. "It's just nice to see something like that." Amy broke into quiet laughter.

"You're such a girl Kyo." She said between chuckles.

* * *

Sei walked home through the now pouring rain with dedication to the task at hand. First, prep Jo for tonight and the likelihood of her opponent, who, she reckoned, would be very big and strong and much more likely to use her injuries to their advantage. Not that Jo wasn't smart, but, she would need to be reminded that rushing into this blindly would leave her very open since her injuries would require her to stay stationary. With a broken leg, broken ribs and broken arm, it would be difficult to maneuver around, nevertheless participate in the close quarter contact that Jo excelled in. Then, she would open up all the folders Amy had made filled with information. She would tell Meg the truth about what her grandfather had said about Jo and her chances for fighting. She'd tell Kyohei he could have a vacation after coming out on such a short notice. She'd thank Takeru for saving Jo.

And she'd find Satsuma.

Her hair was plastered to her face as she swept it out of the way to look down the crowded city streets she walked upon. The rain fell steadily in a rhythmic, soothing pattern and she increased her pace as she thought of the warm trailer where hopefully Kyohei would have something hot to eat made up when she got back.

She bumped into someone as they hurried past her and she stopped and turned to look at them. Sei froze in horror and shock as she realized who it was. That hair, brown and choppy that flowed to her shoulders, the walk that seemed so graceful and easy, loping and carefree….she could see a hint of her face, the gleam of green-blue eyes that she had gazed into little over a year ago.

"What…Satsuma!" She yelled down the street, clearly hearing the desperation in her own voice. "Satsuma, wait!" She chased her down, trying to keep sight in the crowd. She could see her face turn slightly and saw that bemused half-grin, so cocky and sure grace the edge of her visage. Sei felt tears run down her face, confused as to all the feelings she was experiencing at the moment. She ran down the street, pushing people over as she barreled through.

But it was for naught. Sure as she had been there a second before, actually touching her, Sei thought with a gasp and heavy heart, she was gone now. "Satsuma…"Sei whispered as she stood alone in the middle of the sidewalk, searching for her past that had managed to always be her present, and her future.

Her mind working under the pretense of shock, she turned around abruptly and sprinted home towards the trailer. She banged the door open and looked in the living room to see Meg and Jo jump apart. At another time, she would have felt bad for interrupting, but as she struggled to throw her shoes off she hurriedly brushed past Meg, who had gotten up at seeing the alarm on the older girls face.

"Sei, you look like you've seen a ghost…" Meg said quietly, following Sei as the girl pealed through the house searching for Amy.

"Amy!" Sei yelled. "Amy?!"

"Sei?" Amy said as she peered out of her room. "You're soaking wet. What happened? What's going on?"

"I saw her. Amy. I saw Her." Sei said dazedly. "I touched her. I…she…we bumped into each other. Amy, I know it was her. The hair, the eyes. She smiled, god, Amy, I know it was her." Sei's voice was oddly toned and she panted slightly, out of breath.

Sei didn't get the reaction she was looking for. Instead of seeing a look of joy wash over Amy's face, she saw the girl's face fall slightly as disbelief showed through. "Sei, are you sure it was her? I mean, there are a lot of people out there…"

"Amy, how could I not know?" Sei asked, her voice breaking. "I know it was her. She's out there, Amy, she's been out there doing god knows what, for who knows how long…." Sei's eye's teared up again. "Why hasn't she tried to find me, to find us?"

"Maybe she just got into town, we don't know for sure if it was her-"

"It was!"

"Alright, it was. Sei…" Amy's face broke into a smile. "She's alive. Sei. Satsuma, she's…" Amy started to cry as well as she hugged Sei tightly. "She's alive." Amy said as they laughed giddily.

Jo stared confusedly as the scene in front of her, finally making it from the couch over and down the hallway. Even though she was only using one of her crutches, it still took her a while to maneuver around.

"What's going on?" She asked in her I've-just-woken-up/been-disturbed voice. It wasn't everyday she regained the ability to function as a human being to see Sei and Amy hugging each other and crying like they had won the lottery or something.

"I have no idea." Meg said back to her. "Someone named Satsuma is alive apparently. I've never heard of her before though." Jo sighed impassively.

"As long as it's not an enemy that's getting those two all upset…." She muttered silently.

"Satsuma's the furthest thing from an enemy." Sei said, releasing Amy as she wiped away the last remnants of her tears. "She's our former teammate."

"Well, what happened to her? Why isn't she with the team anymore?" Meg asked.

Sei looked to Amy, who nodded back at her. "It's a long story," Sei said with a sigh. "One I never thought I'd have to tell you guys. But you deserve to know."

"Then let's hear it." Jo said to the surprise of everyone. "I want to hear about this." She spoke honestly, looking directly at Sei, who was obviously intrigued by Jo's openness about it.

"Where to begin…."Sei said, reminiscing. "Where to begin…"

**And that's it folks. I hope you all enjoyed it :) Like I said earlier, feel free to let me know about anything (good stuff, bad stuff, anything in between) I do all this myself, editing and such, so please excuse me if there are any grammatical/spelling errors. Thank you all so much for reading :)**


	12. Satsuma's Story

**Once again, I return! RAWR! I have risen from the depths of writers block and am on track for making the story come through to the end. Thank you to all of you who read, review and love this story-this is all for you. This chapter was fun to write, partly because Satsuma's character was one of the original ideas I had for the story, and I'm thankful that it's gotten to continue this far so I can share her story (and Sei's) with you. Please tell me how you like her! **

**Consider this an early Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Festivus present? :P Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, unless Santa gives me my Christmas wish :P**

**Until next time, Please enjoy Chapter 12 of Worth More than that: Satsuma's Story**

* * *

Amy wrapped Sei in a blanket as the group sat down in the kitchen, Kyohei bustling off to brew some tea. Sei had refused to change out of her clothes, stating merely that she wanted to get this done and over with, barring any thought of getting distracted from her mind. Indeed, when she closed her eyes, all Sei saw was the familiar profile she bumped into almost a half-hour ago, no twenty seven minutes ago exactly. There was no way, Sei knew, that she'd forget anything about the girl.

"I met Satsuma a year after I had moved out of my family's compound," Sei began in a quiet voice. "Amy and I had been working together since I was about 13, when I ran into her on the streets." She looked over at Amy and smiled wearily. Fooling no one, the rest of them sat around the table and waited for the rest of the story. The smile was fake, pained, and there was no telling to the amount of emotions their leader was going through. But they had all seen the mask long enough, and they all knew when it seemed about to crumble.

"When we left, I was fifteen years old, Amy was seven. I had gotten a…somewhat illegal license so I could drive-but we didn't have the trailer yet" She added in hastily at the shocked faces around her. "We would travel around throughout Tokyo doing odd jobs. My grandfather, though he left me to myself, made up his mind that I was in no shape to be doing anything of actually importance to the rest of the company. So we worked small jobs that would give us enough cash to make a sufficient living. It wasn't easy. But we did it. We had a small, dingy apartment, and with most of the money going to try and build up the technology Amy used, we used whatever was left for food. We ended up in the red a lot." Jo looked at Meg after hearing those words.

"I know what you mean." She said quietly, still waiting for what she knew to be the meat of the story.

"One day, Grandfather decided it was time for us to either successfully complete a big mission, or he would revoke our team and send us our separate ways. For me, that meant going back to the compound as a failure, and for Amy, it meant life back on the streets with no help from anyone. It was the biggest heist we had ever had, but the benefits were well worth it."

"What was the job?" Meg asked.

"Nothing compared to what we've done nowadays. It was mostly petty crimes, though this one involved hunting someone down and stealing something very important. A computer chip, I believe." Sei said quietly. Amy nodded her assurance.

"We set up a plan, easy, simple, and hopefully cost-effective. Amy would disable security, keep an eye on the monitors and I would go in and wait for her distraction. Once that would happen, I was trained enough in hand to hand combat as well as firearms to take down whatever other security would be there. We ran into…some complications though."

"What happened? It seems like a plan to me." Meg interrupted, shrugging her shoulders.

Sei's face gained a small blush over her cheeks. "I got captured, and effectively kidnapped for a week." At this, Meg and Jo looked surprisingly at each other.

"Kidnapped?" Jo said unsurely. Sei nodded, embarrassed.

"It's not like I planned for it to happen. But it did."

* * *

The room was dark when Sei entered it, her hair pinned up like it looked in the future, and her outfit much more battle ready as she skulked against the wall, peering around corners and crevices like her life depended on it. Indeed, the fear was easy to see on her face as she attempted to focus in the dark.

She saw a shadow and jumped, whirling around in a small state of panic. "Amy…" She whispered quietly.

"What?" Amy replied, her attention focused on the small monitor in front of her.

"There's someone in here. I thought you said it was clear!"

"It's clear of security guards. If something's there, it's not a regular worker."

"Well, try to find out who it is before-" Sei's voice was cut off suddenly.

"Sei? Sei!" Amy yelled, unaware that the earpiece was lying broken on the floor, static buzzing out of it as Sei was currently fighting with her unknown assailant.

"I'm not a regular worker." An amused voice cut through the darkness as Sei tried to find the intruder. "Your friend was right about that."

"Who are you, then?" Sei asked smartly, trying to buy time to figure a way out. "My friend will be here in a minute with backup if she doesn't hear from me."

"We won't be here in a minute though." The voice chuckled, and Sei's eyes widened as she realized the voice was right behind her. She felt a blow to the neck and her vision went black as her consciousness started to fade. She looked up to see a figure carrying her away. "Amy…" she cried out feebly, before she passed out.

* * *

Meg chuckled after hearing Sei's snippet. Jo gave her a pointed look.

"If I recall correctly, you were kidnapped once too, Meg." She said, a hint of teasing in her voice the group was not used to hearing. Meg's face flushed.

"Yeah, but I pretty much escaped." She pouted. "I knew you'd come save me." She replied, teasing back. Jo's face flushed this time.

"Anyway…"Amy whined. "If you two are done, can we please continue? Even I've never heard the whole story."

"You haven't?"

"No. After I lost communication with Sei, I didn't know where she was or what had happened for a week. Then, she showed up one day right back at the trailer, and never talked about it. Neither did Satsuma."

* * *

"Well, then, what happened Sei?" Meg asked.

Sei awoke to a dark room, a lamp lowly lit over in the corner. She looked around blearily, trying to remember what had happened.

"So, you're awake now." Sei jumped at the voice as the memories came back to her.

"Stay away, whoever you are." She moved her head slowly, wincing in pain. "What did you do to me? I feel like I got ran over by a truck…" She complained, rubbing her neck.

A girl slightly older than herself walked in, holding a small tray with a bowl and spoon on it. Sei stared at her, slightly awed.

"Sorry about that." The good natured voice followed a smile as Sei looked up into the most stunning eyes she had ever seen. The girl in front of her was fair-skinned, her choppy brown hair just brushing past her ears. The smile was still on her face as she stared at Sei, observing the girl whose eyes were taking in every aspect of her body. She wore pants, and a long sleeved shirt, and seemed non-threatening to Sei, who took the tray gratefully from her.

"I didn't mean to knock you out for so long." The girl grinned again, more sheepishly this time. "I just needed you unconscious to escape, but…"She chuckled. "I guess those plans went a little awry."

"Where am I?"

"I can't tell you that now, what if you reported back to your company and they came storming in here and trashed the place?"

"Is this your house?"

"You could call it that. It's a safe haven, is more of what I'd say." Sei looked around, noticing the poorly-lit room was one of the only ones in the house.

"You live here?"

"No. It's just a place I happen to have keys to." She winked at Sei. "I'll let you interpret that as you wish." She noticed Sei hadn't touched the food. "You can eat it you know. I'm not out to poison you or anything. Want me to try to some first?" Without waiting for an answer she took the spoon and gulped down a mouthful. "Wow. That cook sure is good. Absolutely delicious."

Sei scowled. "Quit joking around. Who are you?" She didn't know where the anger in her voice came from, or the rush of blood to her face.

The girl leaned back into the wobbly chair, perching it on two legs as she balanced, the impish grin never leaving her face. "Satsuma." She said, her voice light and bubbly. "I'm new to town." She chuckled.

"So I've noticed, or I'm sure someone would have stopped you by now." Sei said dryly, only to find a pout form on Satsuma's face.

"Why so crabby?" She asked.

"Maybe the fact that I've been kidnapped would play a part in that." Sei said, the hard look in her eyes staying focused on Satsuma. The said girl watched her intently for a minute, holding her gaze before sighing and getting up out of the chair.

"I get that you're upset about that, but come on. Did you really expect that your whole life as the next heir to the corporation that is Bai-Lan was gonna be some easy walk in the park? Didn't you think about danger or anything?"

"Of course I did, I'm not an imbecile." Sei said coldly. "I just didn't…"

"Expect to get kidnapped and taken hostage by someone who's barely older than you, smart and incredibly good-looking?" Satsuma said cheekily.

"How old are you?" Sei asked, choosing to ignore the older girl's statements.

"I'm the delicate, tender age of 16." said Satsuma. "As opposed to your 15 years or so, Sei."

"Shut up! Wait. How do you?"

"Know your name and age? Like I said, it's not that hard of information to find. Pretty name though- is it short for anything?"

"No." Sei said with a faint blush on her cheeks."And even if it was I wouldn't tell you!"

"My, my, we sure are defensive." Satsuma said. "Just relax a little. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Then why did you kidnap me? Are you looking for ransom?"

"It wasn't something I just decided to do on my own free will you know. I was employed. I could care less about money."

"I doubt that. Everything has a price."

"Or I could just enjoy my life no matter what comes my way." Satsuma said nonchalantly. "Money is objective. It comes and goes without any sort of attachment to anything. Now, on the other hand, keeping you hostage is going to, without a doubt, form some sort of lasting impression on you."

"Are you planning on torturing me?"

"No. In fact, once you finish eating, this place is going up in smoke and we're getting out of here."

"What?"

"Gotta keep on the move, otherwise your grandfather's little cronies will be all over us. I'm sure they're tracking the city for you as we speak." Satsuma sighed. "This job is troublesome, but it's part of my motto to keep a promise. I promised to be in charge of your situation with my boss, and I'm making you a promise now. I promise that I'm not going to hurt you and I'm not going to take advantage of you. Level with me here. It's not personal, it's business."

Sei warily gazed at the girl. "For now, I have to trust you." She swallowed the last spoonful of the soup. "Let's get going."

Satsuma smiled kindly, and Sei felt herself blushing again. "The..uh…the soup was good." Sei said quietly. Satsuma chuckled as the ruffled Sei's hair.

"As you said. Let's go."

Satsuma put a blindfold as Sei as she led her to the door, stating it was only for personal reasons. She was the only one who knew where the house was, and she wanted to be the only one to wish it goodbye. The left town to the acrid smell of burning cinders and choking smoke, but nevertheless, Sei soon found herself on a country road far out of the city.

"Where are we?" she wondered, looking over at the fields and flowers.

"When I said they were combing the city for you, I didn't say this city. We weren't in Tokyo, my friend." Satsuma sighed. "Isn't it prettier out here anyway?"

Sei was struck by the look of peacefulness and calmness of Satsuma's face, and felt the becoming all-too-familiar blush rise to her cheeks again. _"She's beautiful…" _Sei thought.

"See something you like?" Satsuma asked, waving a hand in front of Sei's face.

"Whaa-? No! Nothing!" She protested, before angrily looking away from the teasing face. Satsuma laughed, and Sei heard a beautiful melody.

"_Crap…" _She thought as they walked down the road. _"I have no idea where I am."_

They walked in silence for a while, Sei trying to plan an escape while covertly sneaking glances at the girl next to her, who gazed in simplicity at the nature around her. She had zoned out for so long that she didn't recognize Satsuma's voice next to her until the hand reappeared in front of her face, elegant fingers snapping.

"You alright there?" She asked. "Getting dizzy or anything from being out in the open air?"

"No." Sei indignantly replied. "I get out plenty back in Tokyo. Who else do you think handles all of the missions my team is sent?"

"Ah yes, the petty crimes you have so cautiously been performing under the cover of night and slick city streets. I meant fresh air, the countryside, a beauty you don't often find in a city, especially one like Tokyo. It's not a pretty place."

"And what is? Out here with nothing to do?"

"Hey, don't get me wrong, I love the city. But, Tokyo isn't the kind of place for a person like me. I don't think it's the place for a person like you either." Satsuma glanced over at Sei. "Where you live reflects who you are. Tokyo is disgusting, dirty; you're nothing like that." She winked, grinning.

Sei's face went red. "You…what a flirt." She sighed, not bothering to get worked up.

"You secretly like it." Satsuma teased, though a harsh glare from Sei sent her into laughter. "Lighten up a little. I'm taking you home, against orders, all right?"

"What?"

"Well, maybe you're unfamiliar with the finer points of kidnapping, but the idea is to not let the person go."

"Shut up, I know that! But why are you letting me go?" Sei asked.

Satsuma put a finger to her lips. "Shhh. It's a secret." She grinned cheekily at Sei, who simply stared in confusion.

"Won't you get in trouble?"

"Only if I get caught. I'm leaving town after this, Tokyo just isn't the place for me."

"Then what is?"

"Oh I don't know. Maybe a city like New York, with all the hustle and bustle, even though it's got a big huge park just lying smack-dab in the middle of it."

"A place that's ugly on the outside, but has something pretty on the inside?" Sei asked quietly. Satsuma watched her carefully before smiling gently at the younger girl.

"Yeah. Something like that."

They found themselves at a small inn halfway through the day. Sei's body ached, though she didn't show it, and gratefully accepted the chair pulled out for her by Satsuma in the small, empty place. Her breathing slowed as she felt the sweat dry off her.

"You alright there?" Sei heard Satsuma ask. She nodded, out of breath.

"I'm fine." She managed.

"I must apologize." Satsuma spoke seriously. "I didn't mean to harm you this much. My only purpose was to knock you out."

"No, it's not your fault. I…have a disease which requires me to take medicine once a day in order to keep up my strength and my energy." Sei confessed embarrassedly. "Without it, I'm afraid I can't continue on for a very long time."

Satsuma looked shocked and worried as she stared at the other girl, her mouth agape. "I had no idea."

"Don't look so shocked!" Sei griped. "It's not like it's your problem!"

"Relax, we don't need you getting any more worked up than you already are, I'm sure it's not good for your health…"Satsuma pondered out loud. "This certainly complicates things."

"How?"

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, we're far into the countryside. I have no means on transportation on me, and my employers failed to mention the fact that without your medicine you are likely to be unable to walk long distances."

"It's…more than that, actually." Sei said, her face pointed downwards. "Without it, I'll die." She spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry." Satsuma said after a few minutes. "That must be scary."

"No more than doing what I do." Sei sighed. "The fact is, I've probably got another day and a half left until…well, a day and a half. The medicine is common, but out here we're not likely to find it."

"So we take a detour. There's a small town not too far from here. It means you won't get back quite as soon."

"Better than not getting back at all." Sei said with a small smile. "Let's get going, shall we?"

"If you say so. Are you up for it?"

"I don't really have a choice."

They walked back out onto the open road, the path once again nothing more than dirt surrounded by trenches of water and flowers in fields on every side. No one paid much attention to the two girls walking together, though they carried each with them sacks. Satsuma however, had wordlessly taken Sei's bags on top of her own as they started walking again, relieving the girl of the weight. Sei had said nothing but given a small smile in gratitude.

"We won't make it there by tonight." Satsuma spoke as the sun dipped lower in the sky. "We can make camp if you like. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Sei snapped, marching off the path to the field. "Let's just stop here then." Satsuma stared for a moment, then followed the younger girl, puzzled.

Dinner was tense, as was the argument that followed over the sleeping arrangement- there were two bags, but one tent, and Sei was displeased at having to share her sleeping quarters with the girl that kidnapped her (as she had to keep reminding herself, for much to her chagrin, a part of her was no longer viewing the girl as an enemy). Satsuma eventually won that one, and they sat around the small fire later in a more peaceable silence. She covertly glanced at the girl sitting across from her in the fire, trying to decipher the unusual situation.

"So. What do you do for fun?" Satsuma asked pleasantly.

"Nothing. I don't have the time." Sei said tersely.

"What? Come on, really? Isn't there something you like to do?"

"I like what I do. I work for Bai-Lan. I uphold my family honor. I take care of Amy."

"Who's Amy?"

"My teammate. She's kinda like a little sister." Sei said, smiling as she looked into the distance. "I've known her for a long time, and we've been through a lot of stuff together." Satsuma smiled as she saw the other girl finally relax.

"Are you scared?" She asked quietly.

"Of what?" Sei said, tilting her head up to the stars.

"Of being out here. Being kidnapped." Satsuma paused. "Being with me?"

"No." Sei replied after a short time. "I'm not. Not with you..." She paused. "It's so beautiful out here." She whispered, her head still pointed towards the sky. "You can't see the stars in Tokyo." She turned towards Satsuma, a graceful smile on her face. "Where are you from?"

"I don't know. My parents died when I was young, and I was adopted by my uncle who lived out here in Japan. He ran a dojo, so I learned young how to fight. Then he died too. So I wandered around Japan." Satsuma sighed. "I'm from nowhere."

"But at least you're going somewhere." Sei added in.

Satsuma laughed, her tone bitter. "I'm not going anywhere. Look at what I'm doing. I'm kidnapping people for ransom. I didn't want to be like this. The only skill I have is fighting. I can't do much else."

"I'm sure you can do something else. After all, you've managed to keep me here, haven't you?"

"I could kick your ass in a second." Satsuma said cheekily. "Remember last time?"

Sei grinned. "You caught me by surprise. I'm actually a good fighter. Someone has to carry out the missions for my team."

"You're kidding me. You go out there and carry out missions? Wow. You've got a lot of nerve. I'm surprised you haven't been kidnapped sooner."

"Well. I'm not really a full-fledged member yet. My grandfather wanted me to prove myself, and, thanks to you, my one big shot was blown." Sei sighed. She laid back on the ground and watched the stars again.

"I'm sorry?" Satsuma said. "Actually, I'm not. You oughta aspire to something more than a petty criminal."

"It's not like that. I have a name to uphold, a person to become. That is what my life is." Sei argued, though her tone was half-hearted.

"Is that what you want to do though?" Satsuma asked quietly.

"Right now…"Sei sighed audibly. "Right now I want to watch the stars and the world turn and not have to worry about anything."

"So don't." Satsuma said, getting up and walking over to the girl. She peered down. "I'll take care of you." She kneeled down so her face was close to Sei's and the said girl found herself lost in the blue green eyes, sparkling in the moonlight.

"Satsuma…"she said, testing the name on her lips.

"Rest. We need to make sure you can get to the town tomorrow so we can get that medicine." Satsuma put a hand on the girl's forehead, feeling it's slightly warm touch. "Get to the tent. You're got a small fever and it's just not a good idea to sleep outside."

"I'm fine."

"You're not." Satsuma said, arching an eyebrow skeptically. "You can't lie to me."

"What?"

"At least, you won't." Satsuma smiled. "Take a good look at the stars and then shut your eyes." She ordered, to which Sei skeptically obeyed. Suddenly, she felt herself lifted off the ground. "Don't open them!" Satsuma teased, and Sei kept them shut. Satsuma gently set her down and whispered in her ear. "Now, when you open your eyes in the morning, you will have watched the stars the whole night. You'll have stars in your eyes."

Satsuma got up and left the tent, and Sei sat in the dark for a while before falling asleep. This was strange to her, sleeping out here in the elements, with a girl she had just met, and yet, someone she found herself trusting. That girl seemed so friendly, so…different than anyone Sei had met. It was nerve-wracking. She felt out of control, and her nervousness about her illness was shaking her up as well. It was something she kept hidden, because she controlled it. Every day, she took her pills, she always had plenty on hand and the fact that she had none now and knew she was slowly dying was not a comforting fact.

She heard Satsuma enter later, and realized she had fallen asleep. The slight crackling of the fire outside muffled to older girls nearly noiseless entry. She laid down in the sleeping bag, far away from Sei, who knew the girl did it on purpose, afraid of offending her. Sei waited till she heard the heavy, even breathing from the girl before turning to look. The darkness along with her eyelids, covered up the blue-green gems that were underneath it. Sei mentally scolded herself. So what, she thought, if the girl was beautiful? It didn't mean anything, and she sure wasn't going to do anything about any sort of feelings or attractions she had. Still…Sei's hand reached out tentatively, and she tucked a strand of hair out of the sleeping girls face, smiling contentedly. She laid her hand on top of the other girls, feeling the warmth, and soon fell asleep.

Sei awoke to crackling fire and shifted uncomfortably as her back cracked due to the hard ground she had slept on top of. She peered out the tent to find Satsuma crouched by the fire, poking something in it as she watched it intently. Sei got up and crouched next to her, to which Satsuma merely looked over at her and smiled.

"Did you sleep well last night?" She asked politely. Sei nodded, feeling tired and aware of her growing pain.

"Yes. Though I'd like to get going quickly…"She said. "I'm afraid I don't feel very well."

"Breakfast on the road then," Satsuma smiled, though her face showed nervousness. "It shouldn't be much longer until we get to the town." She smoothed over a part of Sei's hair and grinned.

They got to the town around midday- it had taken longer than Satsuma expected due to Sei's need to take breaks from walking and the activity of traveling. Satsuma had taken Sei's pack quietly again and didn't complain about Sei's tiredness at all, a fact to which Sei was grateful.

The pharmacy was open and Sei couldn't help but chuckle at the hurried pace to which Satsuma went to it, pacing back and forth outside the entrance as she waited for Sei to come. They received the medicine at a fairly cheap cost and Sei gratefully took the pills with a sense of relief.

"How much did you get?" Satsuma asked.

"About a week's worth. Do we need more?"

"No, I'll have you back to the trailer in no time." Satsuma looked up at the darkening sky. "We should probably just stay here for the night. Hopefully we can get a good meal or something."

"Why wouldn't we?" Sei asked, unnerved by Satsuma's sudden nervousness.

"Nothing, just it's not really safe for us around here."

"Why?"

"Cause I'm taking you home. If I get caught I'm in trouble. And you're not exactly great company to be walking around with. If there's a Bai-Lan guy here, we're screwed."

"Don't be so nervous," Sei chided. "Aren't you the big bad mercenary?"

"I am." Satsuma said, looking cockily at Sei. "But I don't exactly want to be on the run."

"I don't think we have that choice anymore." Sei said seriously, dragging Satsuma away with her as her eyes locked on a hulking man walking around the town square.

"Who is that?!" Satsuma hissed, peering around the corner.

"Gregory. He's a Swedish worker Grandfather hired."

"Swedish? What the hell? He's huge!"

"What does being Swedish have to do with height?" Sei asked, confused.

"I have no idea! But this sucks!" Satsuma said worriedly. "We can't go out and take the main road now."

"Then how do we get back to Tokyo?"

"We go through the forest and the fields…"Satsuma said, shrugging. "It'll take longer, but it's safer, especially considering that if there are Bai-Lan agents out here, they'll be at all the other places along the way."

"Why don't we try to tell them you're a good guy now?"

"I'm not a good guy." Satsuma said quietly. Sei looked worriedly at her.

"You could let me go. I wouldn't tell them about you. Then, you'd be free to go and do whatever you wished. No strings attached. We wouldn't ever have to have contact again." Sei said quietly, her tone odd.

Satsuma narrowed her eyes as she looked at Sei. "Why would you do that for me? Let me be able to leave freely, after I kidnapped you and everything."

"You did what you had to do for your job. You saved my life by taking me here. I am in your debt." Sei's tone was business-like, professional.

"A debt?" Satsuma's voice sounded pained. "I didn't do it to get you in debt."

"Nonetheless, I follow Bai-Lan's code. A debt is a debt." Sei got up from the wall, staring up into Satsuma's eyes, her face a stoic mask.

"If that's it then." Satsuma said quietly. "I don't know if I'll ever see you again."

"I don't suppose it would be a good idea for you to do that. If you're as wanted as you say you are, I have little power to save you."

"Are you saying?..."

"I'm saying leave." Sei said. "Sure, this was fun and what not, cavorting around and escaping, but the thought of you taking me back to Tokyo when I can just go now in the comfort and style of Bai-Lan, well, you just don't compare. I'm doing you a favor by not turning you in. You kidnapped me, and I merely played you so I could have some freedom."

Satsuma looked devastated, and Sei could see the pain in her eyes. However, she held her ground.

"Fine, then." Satsuma stepped away from Sei, down towards the alleyway. Sei stood stiffly, her fists clenched. Satsuma then turned around before she reached the shadows. "You know, I thought you were different than all the other spoiled rich heiress' around here. But I was wrong, I guess. I guess even sometimes the stars reflect in the eyes of someone who can't see the sky." She shook her head, chuckling. "Goodbye Sei." She turned and disappeared.

Sei stood and watched the girl disappear, her mask disappearing, and then crumpled to the ground, crying. "Satsuma…please, don't leave." She said quietly, sobbing. She didn't want to push the girl away, yet, she had no choice. For Satsuma's safety, for the freedom the girl had that Sei wanted, that she envied, for the dreams and the heart the girl had, and for everything she had done for Sei, it was no use to put her in danger and to make her a captive when her freedom was what Sei wanted all along.

She had to push her away so her love wouldn't suffocate her, trap her, and keep where she shouldn't be. So Sei cried the cry of a broken heart that had never had the chance to love.

She turned herself into the Gregory a while later, after she had finished crying and attempted to fix herself up. She was still wearing the clothes Satsuma had given her, and she clutched them closer to her body, knowing they were the only things of the other girl she would have. He seemed surprised to see Sei, but nonetheless phoned headquarters to tell them he had her, and told Sei they would need to leave immediately to return home. He didn't have a car and had walked the way out to find her. Sei smiled kindly. Gregory, for all his bulk, was a kind man, and treated Sei gently and properly. They walked down the country road.

"So, Sei," He said, his accent faint. "What happened?"

"Nothing." She said quietly, looking straight down the road. "I was in the care of someone for a few days, and then was released."

"Were you injured?"

"No." She replied curtly. "I was well taken care of."

"Interesting way to act, for a kidnapper."

"She was…she went against company orders. She was taking me home, not keeping me."

"Where is she then?"

"I told her to leave me." Sei said, her voice full of sadness. "I did not wish to subject her to Bai-Lan's rules and customs. They would have locked her up at best."

"But she was returning you…" Gregory said. "Your grandfather would have understood."

"No. He would have been, and will be furious. Especially with me."

"You seem very sad, Sei. I am sure that your grandfather would have listened to you and your kidnapper's case. Especially considering the fact that you are very sad without her here."

"I'm not sad. I could care less." Sei said. Gregory stopped and stared down at the young girl in front of him. He had come to gain a certain respect for Sei, after watching her dedication and steadfast loyalty hold true through thick and then. She had an unwavering sense of duty, especially to Bai-Lan, and while he himself had that same conviction, he had always wanted to see her happy more than anything else. It was his job to make sure that the security and safety of Bai-Lan was ensured, and Sei, being the heir and future leader, was a key point to that goal. Her sadness was not something he enjoyed seeing.

"Then why do your eyes look so sad?" He asked her. "It is okay to have friends Sei."

"I have Amy."

"She is different, we both know that." Gregory sighed. "That girl was obviously important to you. It makes me confused to see why you would give up something important to you when you have never done so before."

"Just take me home." Sei said after a few minutes. "I wish to get back to business." Gregory sighed, nodded, and left the girl to her own devices.

They traveled on and camped out in the next small town for the night and resumed their walk the next day. Sei wondered to herself how Satsuma had managed to get her so far from Tokyo in less than a day. Gregory had told her when she asked that, if one walked briskly, the town was 2 days away. By car, it was not very long at all, though, traveling by car was conspicuous out in the countryside, and would have made it easier for kidnappers to notice-"Hence, the walking." He grinned, his face boyish. "It's nice out here though. It reminds me of Sweden, out in the summertime, with the flowers and meadows." His face fell at Sei's refusal to answer. Aside from asking how far away they were, Sei had not spoken to him since their conversation the previous day.

They had made it to a wooded area, where Gregory tried to rely less on sight and more on sound to be aware for enemies. He knew that, if the kidnapper had gone back to who they worked for, it was likely that another one be sent out. Or, he thought, even worse, the girl had come back. Sei, who was not bad in the art of self-protection by any means, was easily knocked out, and while Gregory didn't question his own set of skills, he didn't want to hurt the girl anymore than he had to.

A shot rang through the clearing they were in and they both dropped to the ground, Gregory pulling out his gun he had with him. Sei, who had nothing, lay there defenseless. Gregory muttered a curse in his native tongue as the situation dawned on him. More shots rang out and he looked wildly around. This time, they had sent more than one person and it looked like they were outnumbered. Gregory took aim and fired, neatly killing one of the men.

"Get to the trees!" He barked at Sei, who scrambled and ran for cover. She took his instructions one step further, and scampered up one of the trees, breaking of small branches as she went. She neatly broke them into points and waited for more people to come to the clearing as Gregory circled widely, her eyes counting the amount of people there.

"Where is the girl?" One of them sneered as he crept closer.

"I do not know." Gregory said. "I told her to run. She is far away from here."

"Liar." He hissed. "We know she is with you."

"How?" He asked. The man chuckled and pointed as Satsuma stepped into view, her head downcast. Sei nearly fell out of the tree, and felt rage consume her. How could she have thought to trust the girl? How could she have betrayed her like this, running back and telling them where they were? Why would she follow them but not stay with them? Sei's mind raced as the scene unfolded.

"She told us everything, and we came back for what we intended to get. Bai-Lan will suffer because of us, and we will make them pay all the money in the world for their precious little heiress." The man snarled.

"I'm afraid I cannot let you do that." Gregory replied bravely. He felt an instinct that the brown-haired girl who had ceased to move other than step into the light was the kidnapper that Sei had encountered earlier, and he felt that she had a different reason for being here than intended.

He fired a shot quickly and then ducked, swiping out at the man closest to him. More shots rang out as a full-fledged fight started. Sei watched the ruckus in horror, pelting down the sharpened sticks in an effort to help her bodyguard and friend. Shot upon shot rang out and in the confusion Sei lost track of Satsuma. Fighting between two mindsets, she forced herself to focus on Gregory, who seemed to be losing the battle.

Meanwhile, Gregory was, in fact, losing, and the realization came upon him that he would have to sacrifice himself for the company, a death he was willing to accept so long as Sei's safety was ensured.

"You!" He cried out in the dim. "You, the one who brought them here!" Satsuma looked up finally from her place in the background, neither fighting nor retreating. Gregory looked into the blue-green eyes and realized just what Sei needed, and what the girl would give. "Protect her!" He yelled, desperate. "Make sure that you keep her safe!" Satsuma's eyes widened at the shocking command, but nodded once before running off. Gregory hoped that his message would get through as he tightened his resolve and fought.

Sei felt a hand grab her mouth in the trees and immediately struggled furiously. Kicking and biting, the hand refused to let and was soon joined with another one around her waist, stopping her movements if she wished to remain in the tree.

"Stop struggling…" The voice pleaded, mournful. Sei's eyes widened as she gasped in shock, turning to face the sorrowful eyes of Satsuma.

"You!" she cried, irate. "You betrayed me! You betrayed Gregory, and the rest of the company! You filthy liar! I hate you! I hate you!" She cried passionately, struggling more furious to get away. Satsuma only held her tighter.

"Please, stop. Hear me out." She murmured in Sei's ear as the girl continued to fight. "I didn't mean to do anything! I never wanted to hurt you!"

"You did! Look at what you did! You went running back and brought them here!"

"I would never do that!" Satsuma cried out, causing Sei to cease momentarily. "I would never, never do that." She looked Sei in the eyes. "They captured me, they figured it out. They tricked me, I let myself be tricked."

"Why? How could you just let yourself get caught and reveal everything? What could they have possibly done to make you do that?!"

"I was not as strong as I was before, I was upset. My emotions had the best of me." Satsuma said quietly. Sei's eyes narrowed in confusion, before she silently understood.

"It doesn't matter though!" She continued, still upset. "You should have done more. And then you came here? Just what were planning to do, watch them take me?"

"No! I came here so I could try to save you!" Satsuma berated. She looked down at the slowly dwindling fight beneath them. "We have to leave if you want to live."

"But Gregory-"

"No. He will stay."

"No!"

"It's the only way. He knows, Sei, he knows and he wants you to live and not be captured and stolen away. He wants the best for you. He called out to me and told me to protect you. Let me honor his last wish."

"I can't leave him!" Sei said, crying as she realized what Gregory had consigned himself to.

Satsuma looked on helplessly as she picked the girl up and threw her over her shoulder, quickly navigating the tree tops. Sei watched in agony as Gregory spotted the two in the trees. He smiled that same boyish grin at Sei, who could barely see it through tears, then turned to fight. Sei watched in horror as a bullet ripped through him, and he fell to the ground. The amount of people left were few and Satsuma ran quickly with Sei, though labouredly, and soon paused by a small cave.

"Get in." She panted. When Sei glared at her, she sighed, "It's either me or them right now. Take you pick."

"I'd take them." Sei said furiously. Satsuma just growled lowly and forced the girl in the cave with her.

"I saved your life you know, a little thanks might be appreciated."

"You cost Gregory his life, and you sold me out!"

"What was I supposed to do? They said they had laid a trap for you, a bomb, and that if I didn't take them to you, then you'd end up dying! Do you think I'd want you to die?"

"You shouldn't have listened to them!"

"Well, it wasn't like I had anyone else to believe in! After all, the girl I saved and the girl I thought wanted me to help her and be with her dismissed me without as much as a farewell when her precious little organization came up obviously wasn't there anymore!" Satsuma yelled, getting to her feet.

"That was low." Sei said after a minute.

"No, it wasn't. What you did was low." Satsuma replied back.

"It was the right thing to do!" Sei defended.

"How? How could that possibly be the right thing to do?"

"Because you are a free person!" Sei said, her eyes filling with tears. "You have freedom and spirit and a element of naturalness and I knew if you stayed with me you'd get caught up in all the strands and ropes of the organization and I couldn't knowingly do that to you! You'd be put in jail, at best, for God's sake. I was trying to protect you! My life is not something you should have to be involved with." Sei said bitterly.

Satsuma sat back down, and a silence fell over them. "I guess you're in a bad spot now." She said after a few minutes.

"Why is that?"

"Cause you're stuck with me now." Satsuma said quietly, looking over at Sei with the hint of a smirk edged on her face. "I'm getting you back to Tokyo and your company, to hell with whether you want me to or not."

Sei's face remained blank for a few seconds before she started smiling, then laughing as Satsuma joined in with her. Sei walked over to the girl and hugged her, knocking her over and onto the ground.

"I'm so happy you came back." She whispered in Satsuma's ear, blushing profusely the whole time. "Every step you walked away felt like dying." She said.

"I kept hoping you'd change your mind." Satsuma said back. "Then I thought you already had, so you wouldn't change it back."

"Surprise…" Sei chuckled weakly.

"We'll have to go on the road again tomorrow, but we have to take the long way. I'm on the hunt as are you, and it's more dangerous now than it was before. Once we get to Tokyo, we should be fine- but it's another three or four days walk from here, especially through the mountains and what not."

"I don't care." Sei said nonchalantly. "It's pretty out here." She looked towards the entrance of the cave, and didn't notice Satsuma's eyes on her.

"It's beautiful." She said quietly.

They had made it through the mountains and the forest with no trouble at all. Sei had her pills on her and took one every morning under the wary eye of Satsuma, who fretted until Sei got fed up with it and sulked, walking ahead of her angrily for at least 15 minutes until Satsuma's constant teasing had finally caused her to relent as she cracked up laughing. Sei learned more about the mysterious older girl, her likes and dislikes (books and sunsets, and tuna and country music, respectively), and more about her past, though Satsuma spoke little of it and often changed to subject. In fact, Sei had discovered much more about herself as well. She found herself more open and engaging with Satsuma, she laughed more than she could remember. The rapport between them was true, and yet Sei had lurking in the back of her mind that fact that had she used love to describe her feelings towards the only girl. Oftentimes she would have mood swings over it, friendly and engaging one minute while sullen and pensive the next. Satsuma often asked her about Bai-Lan and her dreams for running it, and they often got into spirited debates over many subjects.

They got to the boondocks of Tokyo nearly a week after Sei had left the city unconscious and she welcomed the city back with a nearly resigned sort of air. Satsuma had taken her up a mountain the night before and they had sat and watched the stars the whole night, Sei happy in the simple pleasure while Satsuma was happy to be with the girl.

"It's kind of sad knowing this is the last night I'll get to see this many stars…" Sei had said wistfully.

"You can always come out here you know…" Satsuma said helpfully. "You don't have to stay in Tokyo. Wouldn't Amy like to see this?"

"Yeah." Sei said quietly.

"You know, I might end up staying in Tokyo." Satsuma said. Sei looked over at her, questioning.

"I thought you didn't like it."

"Yeah, well, I've been thinking, and I just feel like maybe there's a reason I should stay there for a little while."

"Oh really?" Sei said. She watched the girl for a second before looking back up at the sky. "Maybe I'll end up seeing you around then."

"Maybe." Satsuma said quietly. Sei laid her head on Satsuma's shoulder, bringing her closer to the girl than she would've dared had it been earlier; but, sleep was taking over and she found herself in an almost reckless, delirious phase. Satsuma watched her for a second, the snaked an arm around her back, half-hugging her.

"Close your eyes…" She whispered silently. Sei grinned as she whispered back.

"That way, you wake up with stars in your eyes." Satsuma nodded and they sat like that for the rest of the night.

Sei woke up to find the other girl's face extremely close to hers and she jumped, startled, before relaxing. She watched her, content for a few minutes before getting up and stretching, carefully removing herself around the other girl. She had noticed the circles around her eyes over the past couple of hours together and figured she should let her get a good night's sleep. Sei sat on the edge of the cave and watched the sun rise in front of her, along with the general awakening of the forest. It amazed her. Never before had she seen such sights- not that she could remember. She supposed her parents may have taken her out of the compound before, or out to nature to see it, but the vivid scenery in front of her was breathtaking.

Come to think of it, the girl sleeping in the cave behind her was breathtaking too.

Sei shook her head to clear the thoughts and watched patiently until she heard Satsuma groaning behind her. She turned, looking back into the cave as she watched the girl wake up.

"Hey." She said blearily, blinking as she focused with the sunlight. Sei laughed at the ditzy-ness of the girl.

"I take it you're not a morning person."

"I've been up every morning before you!" Satsuma complained, grouchy.

"Not this morning." Sei said, chuckling as she turned back to look outside. "You missed a beautiful sunrise." She felt Satsuma soft footsteps as the girl walked over and sat beside her.

"Eh, the view from inside wasn't that bad." Satsuma said, her voice low and growly from just waking up. Sei shivered and Satsuma watched her intently. "Are you cold?" She asked, mid process of shrugging off the jacket she had wrapped around herself.

"No, I'm fine." Sei said, yet she accepted the jacket from Satsuma. It smelled like the wind, Sei thought, free and open.

"We'll be back in Tokyo today." Satsuma said. "Are you excited?"

"In a sense." Sei admitted. "I miss Amy. I'm worried about her. She doesn't know I'm with you, and I'm sure word has gotten back that Gregory was….well, you know. She's probably worried about me."

"Well then, I'll get you home quickly." Satsuma said, smiling. Sei smiled back, though she cringed on the inside. The time she had left with the girl was dwindling with every step they took.

When they could see the city in the background, Sei noticed Satsuma getting more and more fidgety.

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly.

"Nothing….Sei, I want you to promise me something." Satsuma said. "When I give you back, promise you won't come looking for me."

"Why? What's going on?"

"Sei, there's something I should tell you. My mission…it wasn't to kidnap you." Satsuma said, nervous.

"Ok…what was it then?" Sei asked. Satsuma looked at her mournfully.

"There's a reason why staying low and hiding was important Sei. You…you weren't supposed to live through meeting me."

"What?"

"I was…"

"Supposed to kill you!" A shriek rang through the air, and Satsuma pulled Sei into the nearest building, a parking garage filled with cars.

"Kill me?!" Sei asked, her voice with panic.

"Stay here. Don't more, Sei, I mean it. Promise me! These people aren't just after you anymore. They're after me too." She hitched her breath, tightening her resolve. "We're in Tokyo now. You can run and find someone, I'll hold them off. Go Sei, and don't come looking for me. Promise me!" She smoothed a hand over Sei's face, cupping it gently. "Promise me…" She said softer.

Shots rang out and Sei flinched as a hole tore through the car across the way from where they were hiding. "I don't want to lose you."

"I'll find you Sei. Even if it takes a thousand years, and I'm dead and gone, I promise I'll come back and find you."

"I'll go." Sei said, swayed by the promise. "Just tell me one thing."

"Anything." Satsuma said.

"Why? Why didn't you kill me?"

"Because…." Satsuma started, then stopped. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "Because the minute I saw you, I fell for you. I love you, Sei." She breathed, shaking. "I can't bear to see any harm done to you, so please, promise you'll leave and get back safe."

Sei froze. "Satsuma…"

"I know that you don't feel the same. But I love you nonetheless. Go Sei. Maybe one day we'll meet again."

Sei got up and started to leave, feeling Satsuma's eyes watching her. She took one, two, steps, before turning around and running back to Satsuma, grabbing the girl in a tight hug as she put her lips to the older girl's ear.

"If you don't make it through this, so help me god I will kill you Satsuma. Promise you'll come back to me." She felt Satsuma's arms tighten around her.

"I promise." Satsuma said, pulling away from Sei. Satsuma looked her in the eyes, and Sei felt the depth of the blue-green ocean she had never seen drown her. Quietly, passionately, she felt Satsuma's lips brush hers and sighed, melting into it. It was her first kiss. They eventually pulled back, out of breath.

"Satsuma…" Sei said quietly.

"Go." She said, before breaking into a chuckle, smirking at Sei. "We'll continue it later." She winked at Sei, before brushing past her, heading out to the battlefield. Sei watched, dumbfounded, before she took off running in the opposite direction.

Satsuma would come back, she forced herself to think. She had to trust the other girl. Sei ran towards the heart of the city, wondering where exactly she could hide to make sure Satsuma would know where to find her. The idea came to her in a flash, and quickly she turned around and ran towards the most obvious spot- the place where they had first met.

Three hours later and Sei was frantic. Helplessly, she paced the shadows, until she heard a small clinking across the ground. Peering around a corner, she saw the familiar outline.

"Sei?" The voice whispered, and her heart leaped as she barreled around the corner.

"Satsuma. I'm here." She said breathlessly, as she jumped into the other girl's arms, who received her in a bone-crushing hug.

"You're alright." She said, her voice full of relief.

"Me?" Sei laughed, giddy. "You're alright! I was so worried about you."

"Nah, I'm fine. There was a lot of them, but nothing I couldn't handle." She winked at Sei, who blushed.

"Come with me. Come back with me and stay and help us. We could be a team- Amy too. Grandfather…well, hell to Grandfather! I won't let him harm you. You saved my life."

"Sheesh, that's the only reason you want me around?" Satsuma teased. "I saved your life?"

"That and the fact that I am hopelessly in love with you Satsuma." Sei said sincerely, looking up at the other girls face.

"Well, if that's your argument, you make a very convincing one…" Satsuma said, smirking as she leaned down and kissed the other girl properly. "I suppose I can stay."

Needless to say, Amy was very surprised when Sei turned back up later that day hand in hand with a blue-green eyed mysterious stranger, looking not at all like person who had been missing for an entire week. She cried, hugging Sei and welcoming her back, and eyed the new girl.

"Satsuma." She said pleasantly, leaning down to Amy. "Sei's told me a lot about you. It's nice to meet you." She stuck out a hand, which Amy shook warily.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I asked her to be." Sei said carefully, looking at Satsuma who nodded. "I love her Amy."

Amy nodded, still watching Satsuma. "Do you feel the same?"

"Yeah." Satsuma said, shrugging her shoulders. "Your sister's quite the charmer."

"She's not my sister."

"Sorry, you guys just seem like a family to me." Satsuma said happily. "I wish I had a sister like you." She sighed.

Amy looked over at Sei, who gave a hopeful smile. Amy then sighed, and relented. "So, Satsuma, do you like video games?"

"Who doesn't?" She asked back, genuinely surprised. "It's a guilty pleasure of mine."

"Well then, come with me." Amy said, taking the other girl by the hand and pulling her into the family room, where a large gaming console was set up. Satsuma wolf whistled at it, looking over at Amy.

"That's impressive." She said, nodding.

"Not as impressive as my skills." Amy said, throwing a controller at Satsuma, who caught it gracefully.

"I'm leaving!" Sei called from the foyer. "I have to go talk to Grandfather." She walked in, talking to Satsuma while Amy set up the game. "He'll let you stay, I promise. Watch Amy for me, ok?"

"It's fine. Thanks for letting me stay here."

"Of course. I want you to stay here." Sei blushed. Satsuma gave her a peck on the lips.

"Have fun at Bai-Lan headquarters." Satsuma said sarcastically. Sei scowled but smiled softly afterwards. She turned to Amy.

"Don't get kidnapped again." Amy said, staring at the T.V. screen. "Say hi to the old man for me."

"I will."

"Sei?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're back." Amy turned around, smiling. "I was worried."

"I was worried too, trust me. I'm so happy to be back." Sei hugged the younger girl. She then turned and headed for the door. "I'll be back soon!"

The two girls sat and watched the now empty doorway for a minute. Finally, Amy turned to Satsuma.

"I'm glad for her. However, if you break your heart, I'll break every bone in your body…twice." She said in all seriousness. Satsuma watched her for a moment, then nodded.

"Agreed."

"Now that that's settled…" Amy hit the start button. "Welcome to the family."

**And thus spoke Amy! Don't worry friends, next chapter, Meg and Jo realize something very important thanks to Sei, and another battle in the tournament takes place. Jo's got a serious disadvantage, and with Sei's attention focused on finding her love, you can bet the next chapter will be full of twists and turns.**

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Feel free to send a review or PM and make sure to spread the word about WMTT :)**

**Thank you all for reading and see ya next time! *speechless**


	13. Rain

**It's really ridiculous, the amount of time it took to do this. However, the chapter is on the longer side to make up for it, and let's just say...well. It's worth your while friends. To all of who are still here and give me your encouragement, I thank you greatly :) Please enjoy, without further ado, Chapter 13 of Worth More than That**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing save for plot bunnies and the nemesis of all, my writer's block...Newman :(**

* * *

When Sei had finished speaking, the rest of the group sat around, dumbfounded. Never had they imagined such a backdrop for their pensive leader, and they sat around, reflecting.

"It wasn't…like we were perfect." Sei said, as the girls looked back at her. "We fought a lot. Satsuma would get mad and leave for weeks on end, and show back up whenever she felt like it. The relationship that we had was never easy- we both got into it very quickly after a short amount of time and it left a strain."

"But, she's always came back Sei." Amy said quietly. "And you know she did everything for you."

They lapsed into silence again as Meg watched Jo for some sort of reaction. What the girl did surprised everyone. Getting up slowly, using the table and the crutch to help her stand, the crimson-eyed fighter slowly walked over to Sei and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"If she came back before, and you said you saw her out there, then she'll come back again." Her voice was low as she stared impassively at Sei, her face and voice emotionless. Meg started to stand, jolted from the unusual behavior.

Jo looked across at Meg, and fixed her eyes on the younger girl. "Jo, I-" Meg started, then faltered. She looked down, composing herself before sighing determinedly as she walked over to Jo. "I'll help you get ready for tonight." She smoothed a hand over Jo's hair, all the while keeping the eye contact Jo had started, and they slowly walked down the hallway while Amy and Sei, the latter now as dumbfounded as everyone was before, watched in an awed sense.

"What the hell was that?!" Amy said immediately after the door to Meg and Jo's room slammed.

"I have no idea." Sei said, musing. "Perhaps the subject of losing and leaving things is touchy for them. After all, Jo has no recollection of her past prior to meeting Meg, and I am sure that dealing with Jo must have been a strain for Meg at least once in all the years they've been together."

"You've calmed down." Amy stated.

"I suppose I have. I think telling this story has helped me, in a way. It seems like such a long time ago. I guess for us, five years was a very long time."

"Well, four really. Considering Satsuma's been missing for a year."

Sei got up, wrapping the blanket around herself. "She's not missing any longer though." She turned to Amy. "We may not have ever been able to track her down before, but we're going to get her this time Amy."

"Of course." Amy smiled at Sei, who nodded in seriousness before relenting into a small smile as she turned and trudged down the hall. After a few steps, she halted for a second.

"Amy. I'm sorry I never told you this sooner." She turned back, and Amy was shocked to see a small tear in the eye of her courageous surrogate sister. "I was afraid you would hate me for not coming back right away- for leaving you alone and not being there to protect you."

"I could never hate you Sei." Amy said truthfully. "Go get showered and cleaned up. We have a big night tonight."

* * *

In their room, Jo groaned slightly as she sat down on the bed, her muscles protesting to all the movement.

"Do you want some painkillers or something?" Meg asked quietly as the she went through the clothes on the floor, rustling through them until she found Jo's jacket.

"No. It's fine." Jo spoke quietly. She watched Meg inspect her jacket.

"This thing is really beat up." She said, her voice low and her face dark.

"Yeah…" Jo murmured, before she recognized the fact that Meg was crying. Instantly, she got off the bed and hobbled over to the other girl. "What's wrong?"

"Jo!" Meg cried, throwing her arms around the older girl, sobbing. "Don't leave me Jo." Jo went through her mind, as she remembered what would prompt such a response from the younger fighter. Obviously Satsuma and her actions with Sei was something that struck a nerve in her heart.

"I'm not going to." She spoke evenly, in an attempt to calm the other girl down.

"I'm so worried for you Jo, you're in a terrible shape, and now you're supposed to go out there and fight! Why do you do these things?"

"I do it for you." Jo said truthfully. Meg pulled slowly out of the embrace as she stared tearily at the other girl.

"Promise me you'll be safe tonight, Jo. Don't do anything to get yourself hurt."

"I promise." Jo said quietly. Meg sucked in a breath, composing herself, then nodded at Jo, who stared back at her seriously.

"Meg! Jo!" Sei's voice carried down the hall. "Kyohei's here! Come get some food!" Jo got up wearily and looked at Meg, who shook her head no.

"You're not coming?"

"I'm not really hungry right now." She said. "You go eat, you need your strength. I'll be out in a couple minutes." When she noticed Jo's hesitation, she chuckled. "I'm okay, Jo, alright? I have you, I know you'll be great tonight, and I trust you." She took a deep breath. "I love you, Jo." She said with the true seriousness she possessed, and both her and Jo knew she meant in a different way then ever said before.

Jo just stared at Meg, eyes blinking as she nodded after a short time, then shut the door and left. Meg sighed, shaking her head as she turned towards the jacket in her hands. What had come over to make her say those words like that, she didn't know. Jo, and everything she had heard, the pity she felt for Sei for losing her most important person…it was too much to bear, and too much to not say, especially not knowing what would happen tonight. Life had gotten far too out of Meg's hands to want to deal with the uncertainty of life and all that went with it.

Meanwhile, Jo sat mutely at the kitchen table, much to the stares of the other occupants of the house. Kyohei nervously served the food and sat down as Amy and Sei stared carefully at the gunslinger as they slowly ate.

"Hey Jo?" Amy asked, dragging her name out. "Everything ok?" She continued, her voice slow.

Jo looked up, stared at her, nodded, and then returned her head to its lower position as she continued to stare down every delicious morsel on her plate. Amy looked at Sei, shrugged and went back to eating.

"How are you feeling?" Sei asked, trying to elicit a more comprehensive answer.

"Fine." Jo answered, not even bothering to look up. This time, it was Sei's turn to shrug to Amy's questioning gaze. Jo turned over her shoulder to look towards the door that led to where Meg still was.

"Is Meg coming out?" Kyohei asked, then winced as Amy kicked him under the table. Jo turned to him, face blank.

"I don't know." She said, as if still in thought. Then abruptly, she stood up from the table, hobbling over to the table where her guns lay. "Make sure you take some food to her, Kyohei." She said, strapping on her Desert Eagles.

"Wait! Jo?! Where do you think you're going?" Sei asked, following her.

"I need to get out of here for a little bit. I'll show up for the tournament, don't worry." Her voice was monotone.

"Jo! You cannot seriously go out like that! Do you know how many people want to hurt you?"

"I can handle it."

"Not with a broken leg and an arm!" Sei said angrily, making her way in front of the girl to block her off.

"I'm going Sei. I'll see all of you at the tournament."

"What's gotten into you? What the hell is going on that all of a sudden you are leaving?!"

"Nothing. Move." She made her way to step around the older girl.

"Dammit, Jo, no!" Sei said, maneuvering. "I am not letting you go out there unprotected!"

"I can take care of myself." Jo growled.

"Stop struggling! What happened? What's going on?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Jo, goddamn it, stop! Talk to me, I can help!" Sei pleaded, her voice angry.

"Stay out of my life." Jo said, eyes angry. She pushed Sei out of the way, watching her stagger to the other side of the room.

"What about Meg? What about her?"

"Meg is my responsibility, not yours. Leave her alone."

"Oh yeah, that's just great, just go ahead and leave and leave Meg here while you go off on your own doing god knows what 2 hours before you have to fight for your fucking life! You sure do care a lot, don't you?"

"Shut the hell up, Sei." Jo's eyes burned.

"No, damn it! You are not invincible, Jo! You have your weaknesses just like the rest of us normal humans, and shit, you're pretty fucked up right now, aren't you? Some hero you are, all beat up and scrapped like a dog that managed to run away with its tail between its legs after it got the crap kicked out of it. You think running is going to solve anything? "

"I'm not running."

"Really? Then what happened to put you out here with one foot out the door while Meg lies in the room doing something else, after everything that's happened today? What makes this acceptable, to put your selfish needs first! She needs you, damn it, and you are not just going to leave her! Don't you dare abandon her now, you can't just up and leave whenever you feel like it! There are more people in the world then you, grow up already and stop being so selfish! People care about you, when you just disappear, they worry whether you'll be home that night, or the next, or even at all, and you don't even realize it! It's selfish, to just go off and do your own thing and then expect to come back with warm smiles and hugs and kisses all around. Damn it, Satsuma!-" Sei put a hand over her mouth as she realized what she had said.

Amy had been watching the whole time, knowing where the argument was going. She shook her head sadly, as Sei started to shake, tears spilling out.

"Jo, Jo, Jo…" she started, choking over her words. "Jo, I'm so sorry…"

Jo stared back at her, face emotionless. Her eyes turned to Amy, narrowing in slight annoyance.

"Make sure Meg eats something. I'll see you all at the tournament." She opened the door, ready to leave before she stopped halfway through, walking over to where Sei had sunk on the ground, struggling to keep the tears in. she knelt down next to the older girl, putting a hand on the black hair, smoothing it in a gentle mimicking of what Meg had always done.

"I do what I do to protect Meg, and all of you. So did she." Jo spoke truthfully. "I am the Angel from Hell, Sei, and do not forget that. I will win, and get what I want at all costs." She pushed herself back up using Sei's shoulder. "I will see you at the tournament." She turned to Kyohei and Amy, bowing slightly as Meg's voice gently chided in her head _"Manners, Jo." _The redheads name repeated in Jo's head a thousand times over and she pressed a hand to her forehead as she maneuvered out the door, shutting it behind her with a click.

Amy stood, dumbfounded at what had just taken place. She walked over to Sei, pulling the older girl into a hug as she openly sobbed into her shoulder. "Just let it out, Sei." Amy whispered comfortingly, gently rocking the girl back and forth. She hadn't seen Sei ever this hard since the day Satsuma first disappeared, and she supposed that it had just been bottled up inside since then. Jo's leaving must have been similar to when Satsuma would take off for days or weeks, and Sei would be left in the trailer, oftentimes more crabbier and moody than normal, lashing out and becoming irritated at the drop of a hat, until she would snap at Amy and then apologize, sending both of them into an unspoken agreement to not bring it up.

Kyohei hovered above them nervously, having worked the courage up to get near the two. This tournament was obviously bringing up a lot of stress and problems for his employers, and he felt his heartstrings pull in pity as he watched the disintegration of his team. "I'll go take Meg some food…" he said, leaving after Amy nodded in a silent agreement.

"Don't worry too much about Sei, I'll take care of her. The tournament starts in two hours, we'll meet out here ready to go at ten till, ok?"

"Gotcha." He left quickly and quietly.

When Sei's sobs had subsided to a manageable level, Amy led her to the kitchen, handing her a tissue as she got a glass of water. "Here." She pushed it towards the girl. "Drink up." Sei took it wordlessly and drank slowly.

"What's happening to me, Amy? Why now, of all times, do I feel like everything's breaking down?" Sei asked quietly.

"I don't know Sei. I feel like this was almost coming somehow. You and Satsuma used to fight about her leaving all the time, though I think you just didn't like being left behind when she went off adventuring."

"I just didn't want her to get hurt." Sei said.

"Satsuma, or Jo?" Amy asked carefully. "Sei, you have to distinguish the differences between the two. I know that they're both great at fighting and stuff, but Satsuma lived a completely different life than Jo, and I think you freaked Jo out a little."

"No." Sei said, shaking her head. "No, it was as if Jo knew I was talking about Satsuma the whole time, like somehow she could tell that it was bothering me, that all those things….they were things I wanted to tell Satsuma, but didn't get the chance to. It was like she knew I needed to get them off my chest, like, everything was on purpose."

"She knew?" Amy pondered. "Meg sure has helped her open her eyes to the world."

"I think it was something she learned herself. It's the kind of thing you learn from loving another person, Amy." She turned to the girl with a watery smile. "Maybe tonight we'll have reason to show them those pictures we took." Amy looked at Sei, her face breaking into a smile as she started chuckling with the other girl.

Kyohei mumbled something about a short end of a stick under his breath as he gathered a tray full of food in his hands, carefully heating it back up as he marched down the hallway towards Meg's (and presumably Jo's) room. He knocked once, twice, and then entered quietly.

"Jo?" He heard a voice call out, and he felt his heart break a little at the tone. He looked in the darkened room to find Meg on the floor, Jo's jacket in her hands. "Oh…" she mumbled as her eyes looked up into Kyohei's. "Kyohei. I thought you were-"

"Jo, I know." He said. "I brought you some food..."He held out the platter with a sort of hopeful smile. "I figured you were hungry and all."

"Thanks…" Meg smiled, and patted the ground next to her, inviting the young boy to sit. He plopped himself down unceremoniously as he pushed the tray in front of Meg.

"Eat up! It's delicious, if I do say so myself. See, we were studying French cuisine today, so I made some puff pastries with pork inside them, kind of like a new version of dumplings- see the sauce is used to…" He trailed off after he heard Meg chuckling. "Ah, I've lost you, haven't I?"

"No, no." Meg's chuckles subsided as she grinned at the boy, who noticed a trace of sadness in her face. "It's just…everyone is so crazy and everything is such a mess right now, but you still manage to stay the same old Kyohei, no matter what."

"I'm sorry?" Kyohei asked.

"No, no it's fine. A sense of normalcy is just what we need right now." She sighed, setting down the food. "I wish everything was back to normal."

"I don't really see what's changed…"

Meg laughed bitterly. "It's all my fault. I told her I loved her, Kyohei. And now, she's gone, out the door to god knows where."

"Meg, we all know you love Jo. You say it constantly."

"I didn't mean in the sense of love like I have for you all. I meant it as in the…the way it's supposed to be, true love. I love her with everything Kyohei, I want to be with her and no one else."

Kyohei stretched nervously as he cracked his neck, looking at Meg. "Well," He drew the word out. "Hasn't it always been like that between the two of you? I mean, I get it, you told her you love her and she left. Yeah, ok…that's a big deal." He shook his head. "I'm getting off track. But, isn't that how Jo always handles things she's not used to? She keeps to herself a lot- I mean honestly, she only talks to you about anything, really. I've never even had a real conversation with her!" He laughed, trying to brighten the mood. "But with you two it is...different. She doesn't do things like a normal person, I know you know that, so…why does this bug you so much more than any other time she's dealt with something she's not quite sure how to handle?"

"I don't want to lose her, Kyohei. I…I can't lose her. I feel like if she left I wouldn't have a reason to do anything anymore. I've lived so long with her, and been with her for so long that I feel as if I'm breaking when she's gone."

"She's not gone Meg. You don't know that yet. She'll always come back to you, I thought you'd know that by now."

"What if I've pushed her away though, what if I made her never want to see me or be with me again? What if everything I've done means nothing now?"

"You can't live your life with what-ifs Meg. After all, what if I had never come back to the trailer after that first night, right?" Kyohei chuckled, remembering his early days. "What if I decided to never answer that ridiculous looking ad back then? I wouldn't be here, and I wouldn't have gotten to know all of you. I mean, I never would have gotten kidnapped, but hey, that only happened once right? And while it was terrible and I never want to have to go through it again, it certainly was an experience. A terrifying one, but an experience nonetheless."

"I just don't want her to leave me…" Meg said, her face stricken.

"Knowing Jo, I don't think she ever would." Kyohei patted Meg's shoulder. "I mean, she came with you here when you moved from the States, right? And she worked with Sei and Amy because you wanted to…I have a feeling Meg, that Jo loves you just as much as you love her. I don't think she'd ever leave you; she'd go to hell and back before letting you go. Have a little faith in her. Everyone needs a moment to clear their heads and reflect. After all, when you finally came to terms with how you felt, it was a little shocking, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. You know, I'm really surprised at how much of this you seem to get." Meg chuckled. "You really are just like a girl, Kyohei."

The boy squeaked in annoyance, but continued on in his message. "You deal with new things by doing god knows what. Eating, or whatever."

"Hey!"

"Shopping, something else, fine." Kyohei laughed. "Jo goes out and shoots a few things while she mulls it over in her mind. That, or she watches those crazy B-grade horror movies of hers. It's not that she doesn't know about love, because anyone whose spent that much time with you has to know about love, but she doesn't know her own feelings. So she needed time to sort it out. It just happened that all of this took place at a really bad time, that's all."

"You really think so?"

"Well, as the fifth wheel to the trailer, you see a lot of things, but keep your mouth shut about it a lot. I wasn't going to do anything to bring the wrath of Jo upon me, and, I actually like working for you guys."

"Aw, gee, Kyohei, you're so sweet." Meg's voice had a slightly sarcastic tone to it, but Kyohei was happy to see that her spirits had been somewhat lifted.

"I'm sure she'll be there at the fight tonight, so bring her jacket and a smile and wait for her to say she loves you back!" He grinned, flashing a victory sign. Meg burst out laughing at his ridiculous expression and felt her sense of hope and control set back in. Kyohei was right. There was no use worrying about what-ifs. Jo needed her now, and nothing was going to stop her from supporting her.

* * *

Jo found herself out in the streets, wandering aimlessly as her thoughts floated way above her. A nagging voice in the back of her mind told that she really should pay more attention to what was going on, but there was no stopping the girl once her mind had picked a track to focus on a, and so she continued on her way in the usual manner, ignoring everything around.

Meg had said she had loved her before, she had spoke of love and all that came with it in such a multitude of ways that Jo had known everything there was to know about the subject long before she ever came to Japan. Or so she thought. The idea of loving another person had never come into play, and still now she tested the thought in her mind as if saying a new word for the first time, running it over as she carefully maneuvered around it. Was it safe to say she loved another person? She actually cared for Meg, because that would be the only person of course, in a way that made her more special above all else? Well, that was a given, it was because Meg was different, and she had always been different…but how? Was that word, was love, the thing that made her different. Definitely, in every sense of living that Jo had encountered, Meg was different. There was no feeling that compared to when she returned home and saw Meg waiting for her, there was no smile brighter than the one on Meg's face, and everything about the girl made her feel a sense that she could never recreate through her violent ways. When anything got going too far, when Jo felt her anger and her need to kill and hurt take over, all Meg would have to do would be to lay a hand on her arm, a touch which she could feel over the pulsating beat of her glowing tattoos, and she would rest. If Meg whispered her name, she could hear it instantly.

She was different. She was everything she needed, Jo realized. For once, she realized she needed something- someone, and that person was Meg.

The question was, how did Meg feel? That thought ravaged her mind as it seemingly flew to ever corner, filling up her brain. If Meg didn't need her, got tired of her and left one day, Jo wasn't quite sure what she would do.

"Hey!" A voice rang through as Jo felt a hand latch onto her arm. She turned, nearly snarling, as she ripped away from the person's hold.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked harshly.

"Hold up a second and relax." The voice was easygoing, calm, and Jo finally set her eyes upon the person in front of her.

A girl stood there, her height just taller than Jo's. She wore jeans and a t shirt with a zip-up hoodie over it. An average teeny-bopper, Jo thought, annoyed. Her eyes alighted on the girl's face, and more importantly, the blue-green eyes that shown through the shadows of the coming night. Her short brown hair fell messily over her head, and she ran a hand through it, sighing.

"What do you want?" Jo asked, eyeing her with a cautious attitude, her good hand slightly shifting towards her guns, though she realized with a somewhat concerned air that she had left her jacket with Meg back at the trailer, and with that thought, all her previous ones flooded back in. She supposed her face must have changed, because the girl who had stopped her suddenly seemed more concerned than before.

"Everything alright? You nearly just stepped out into the middle of traffic two seconds ago, and now you look like you've seen a ghost." Jo's head whipped towards the busy street in front of her.

"I didn't notice…"

"That's for sure." The girl sighed. "That's the only reason why I grabbed you, no worries." She eyed the guns strapped to Jo's waist. "No need to reach for the guns, I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Can't be too careful." Jo muttered, turning away.

"You sure you're all right there? I mean, it's not exactly a good idea to walk around with a broken arm and leg, don't you think?"

"I get better quickly, it's not a problem." Jo set off to hobble down the street.

"Wait up a second!" The girl called after her, running to catch up. "What are you doing out here that's got your head up in the clouds."

"None of your damn business, now get the hell away from me before I shoot you." Jo replied, stalking away. She cursed as she heard the footsteps follow her, and looked up at the sky as raindrops started to fall, cursing yet again.

"Look, it's raining and you probably shouldn't be out in that condition." The girl said kindly, offering a smile to which Jo did not return. Meg had told her that it looked like rain, and Jo was regretting more and more than she didn't stay to take her jacket before she got up and left.

"Why do you care?" Jo asked, her face turned towards the girl as rain streaked down it.

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked in return. "Follow me." She brushed past Jo and walked down the street. Jo thought over her options for a minute- wait out in the rain and walk around, or go with the strange girl who had, by some small miracle, ended up placing Jo in her debt. Meg had taught her that she should never leave her debts unpaid, and with that, she followed the girl down the street.

She had pulled her a small café, and the girl shook her tousled brown hair as she walked in, flinging moisture everywhere. Jo regarded her with a calm façade and followed her to the table.

"So," the girl said, peering inquisitively. "Just what exactly is going on? I mean, I know we're strangers, but hey, you look like you need someone to talk to."

"I have everything I need." Jo said slowly.

"Really? That's impressive. You've got a family?" Jo shook her head no. "A nice house?" Again Jo shook her head no. "A boyfriend?" Jo's eyes widened slightly before she shook her head more vehemently.

"No. I don't have any of that."

"Well then, I envy you, because a hell of a lot of people wouldn't consider having everything if they didn't have those three things."

"Well. I'm not like most people."

The girl nodded in affirmation. "I understand."

"I don't get how you would."

"Look, I've never had any of that stuff either. But I'm perfectly happy. And you're happy, right?"

"I suppose." Jo looked down at the menu. She wasn't hungry, though she had barely picked at the dinner Kyohei had prepared.

"Well, supposing is no way to live life. You never know what'll happen if you take a chance."

"Really." Jo's voice took on that sarcastic tone she rarely used.

"It's true. I've seen a lot of things in my life, but you certainly seem to have one of the most interesting characters I've encountered."

"I'm not that interesting."

"Of course you are. Look at you. You don't exactly blend in to the crowd."

"I could if I tried."

"Yeah and then you'd be run over in the middle of the road."

"Just because you decided to notice me doesn't mean everybody else will." Jo's annoyed tones quietly rang out.

"Oh shut up already." The girl complained.

Jo watched her with a look that clearly asked what she voiced. "Who the hell are you?"

"Just a random stranger who decided to help you out. Come on now, order something, you look famished. I'll pay, don't worry."

"I'm not hungry." Jo said tersely.

The brunette looked at the waitress when she returned and ordered two teas, as Jo stared incredulously. "What?" the girl asked, noticing the look.

"I just told you I wasn't hungry."

"Well, I got you something anyways, deal with it. Anyway, it's a drink, not a food. Look at you, you're all wet from the rain anyway."

"I've got someplace to be." Jo said, going to stand up as she reached for her crutch.

"I don't really think you're fit to be going out anywhere right now."

"I have to go somewhere." Jo said, her voice a stern, final tone.

"Where is it? What do you have to do?"

"I've got a fight." Jo said quietly, not wanting to draw attention. The girl looked up at her, eyebrows raised.

"A figurative one?"

"No." Jo's mind wandered as she wondered why this girl would think it would be a fake fight, not a real one.

"Well. It looks like you may need some practice there, considering you're all beat up." Jo nearly drew a gun at the insult, but chose to instead walk away.

"Shut up," she growled. "And leave me the hell alone already."

"At least let me tag along with you; that way if you get your butt kicked I'll be able to help you out."

"I'm not going to lose. And I don't need you. You helped me, I thanked you, end of story. That's how these things work."

"And who told you that?"

The pause in Jo's step, as she faltered for one second while a smiling face of Meg popped into her mind was enough for the cocky brunette to catch on.

"Oh." She smiled, as Jo frowned and kept hobbling away. "You've got yourself a boyfriend."

"No." She said, trying to evade the girl, not noticing the several funny stares she was getting from the bystanders as she hobbled through the crowd with the curious eyed girl following her.

"Really. Then who told you about your so-called way to live life."

"Meg." She said it, short and sweet, hoping the other girl wouldn't dwell on it.

She was wrong. "Oh…." She said, her voice teasing. "So you've got yourself a girlfriend then."

"Shut up."

"It's cute, really."

"Shut up."

"Seriously, I mean, she takes of you and makes sure you're living your life the good way, it's sweet. Saccharine."

Jo whirled around and grabbed the girl's sweatshirt in a fist as she drew her close towards her body, her face set in a menacing glare. "I told you to shut up." Her voice growled, as the other girls eyes widened. "You leave her the hell alone, you understand me?"

"Sure, sure, I've never met the girl, relax." She spoke quietly, placing a hand on Jo's arm as she placed it back at Jo's side. Jo's eyes narrowed as she felt the strength the girl possessed.

"You're strong."

"Girls gotta get by somehow." She shrugged. "I've been fighting since before you were born." She chuckled good-naturedly.

"So what? You do underground stuff?" Jo had heard about the famed underground tournaments that went on in Tokyo. There was a fair amount of cash to be made from them, and while she had given the idea a thought or two, Meg had always shut her down with a worried look and then ran off to tell Sei, who made sure at thought of restricting Jango and weapons that Jo would not participate.

"No. I used to work for some people, but I eventually switched sides."

"Police?" Jo asked, her senses heightened as she moved slowly towards her gun.

"No. I don't like the police, especially not around here. Can't trust those RAPT bastards." Jo nodded in affirmation. "I used to work for some really bad guys, but then I got involved in another group."

"Really." Jo said, uninterested as she continued towards her destination. Her fight was going to start soon and she couldn't afford to be late.

"Yeah. Truth is, I did it for this girl." Jo turned her head slightly, eyeing the other girl.

"Really." She stated again, only this time, mildly interested.

"Yeah…"the girl sighed in what seemed like a wistful manner to Jo. "The things we do for love, huh?" She elbowed Jo, who grunted in annoyance and continued on. "You'd do the same for your girl right?"

"We are…we're not together." Jo said truthfully, unsure of how to state her and Meg's relationship. They were very, very close friends, Jo knew that, but there had always been more to friends than either of them ever said.

"You're not? Why the hell aren't you?"

"You seem offended."

"I am!" The girl said indignantly, blue-green eyes flashing. "You never know when the ends gonna come, and what are you going to do if it comes before you ever get the chance to say something?"

"Did that happen to you?"

"No." the girl huffed indignantly. "I left."

"Why?"

"Because I had to protect her, and the longer I stayed, the more danger I put in her in."

"Aren't you just offsetting what you said?"

"It's not like I wanted to. I never wanted to. Hell, I'm back in the same town where we lived together for years. I can't get her out of my head."

"Go back, then." Jo said. "If you care so much go back then."

"Easier said than done." The girl sighed, ruffling a hand through her hair. "You though. You. Don't make the mistakes I did. Don't go and leave someone who loves you behind, alright now? You go tell that girl of yours how you feel and you make sure you stay with her."

"Don't tell me what to do." Jo said, stopping to turn and look at the girl. "Your life is your own, as mine is mine." She glared angrily. "Leave me alone. I've thanked you."

The girl watched solemnly, and then nodded. "I apologize for any intrusion." She half-smiled. "I wish you the best, stranger."

Jo eyed her warily, before sticking a hand out. "Jo." She said quietly. "It's Jo."

"Well then, Jo. With your friend Meg. Do what feels right. Cause if you don't take a chance you'll never know, right?"

"I wouldn't know." Jo said, as she headed down the alleyway to the tournament site.

"It's Satsuma!" the girl called out down as she stood in the entranceway to the side streets. "My name!" Jo thought nothing of it before she realized who it was.

"Wait!" She called out, turning around as she clumsily stepped in a puddle. She looked down, cursing, and by the time she looked back up, the girl was gone. "Dammit." She said louder this time, as she made her way into the arena. Sei really wasn't gonna be happy with her for that one.

The crowd swelled around her as she limped through, her mind starting to focus on what was the task at hand. Still, her mind thought back to the words of the girl who all too likely the one person Sei and Amy had lived with for years. Shit, she was the girl Sei loved. Sei, the cold and calculating leader had been in love, had been with someone, and it was a fact Jo had a hard time wrapping her head around, even after hearing the story earlier. Sei never seemed the type to be emotional or carried away by things, and yet already tonight she had seemed to snap. Jo respected the girl for her cool head in situations and her level mind when it came to negotiations, but she was unprepared, Jo thought, for dealing with things that couldn't be solved rationally.

The girl, Satsuma, she still loved her. She had practically admitted it. They had been separated from each for longer than Jo could remember being separated from Meg, and they still loved each other. Jo knew Sei still cared for the girl; it was obvious through her actions. Still though, it had seemed that the separation from the blue-green eyed fighter (Jo had realized the girl possessed an incredible amount of strength) had turned Sei into a completely different person. A person who became cold, and unfeeling, ruled by logic. Jo had hardly ever seen the girl smile, or laugh. No, it was all business with the girl most of the time. Everything for Bai-Lan and for her Grandfather.

It made her shudder to think about Meg in a way that wasn't the normal, happy self she possessed. Meg being serious was a rare form to find, though when it did happen, it was sincere and proud. She could never allow Meg to become like Sei.

A bell rang out and Jo cursed as she realized the time. Hobbling until she got to the main stage, she stared Kaneshi in the face, not wanting to deal with the irritating man.

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked, his eyes widening as the end of his cigar butt fell into the puddle at his feet with a sizzle. He mopped the rain off his forehead with a wet handkerchief. "Ya don't look too good there girlie." He said before clapping a hand over his mouth. "Sorry. Forgot ya don't like being called that."

Jo chose to ignore him. "I'm fine. Let's get it done with." She felt acutely aware of the rain pounding down on her skin and didn't want to wait out in it any longer- ever since….that girl, the one who was with Meg (the name escaped her but she remembered a kind face), had saved her, the feeling of being surrounded by water was not something she enjoyed.

She stood on the stage as she peered through the increasing downpour. She tried searching for Meg, and skimmed the audience for the familiar red hair, but couldn't find her, nor Amy and Sei. The rain didn't help her vision at all.

In front of her stood a fairly skinny man, lanky and tall, yet he seemed to have much more of a fighting style than the last man, who was completely bat-shit crazy, if you asked Jo. No, this man was going to be someone worth her time, she thought, as she reached for the gun on her hip, fingers flexing and arching subconsciously as she prepared to fight.

"Dude. She's in a cast. Is this gonna be okay?" He called out, stepping forward as he flicked a knife in the air.

"Don't underestimate me." Jo growled lowly. The boy turned to her, flicking the knife towards her face. Jo easily dodged it and watched it sail into the crowd behind her as she heard the noise grow louder. Everything felt obnoxious, and, rather than feeling at ease and comforted by the prospect of fighting, the majority of her wished to be back in the trailer with Meg curled up next to her watching a movie. "Shit." She said to herself.

"Hey! Calm ya-self down!" Kaneshi yelled, to no effect. "If youse all are ready, then do it already but for chrissakes leave me the hell outta it!" He backed out of the fighting area, which seemed significantly larger once the man's presence had gone.

Instantly, there was pressure on Jo as she raised an arm to her face, blocking it as the boy came down on her. She took half a step back, surprised by the belying sense of strength. Gritting her teeth, she pushed forward, throwing him off of her. She scowled, firing off a string of bullets that rained around the boy, though he seemed to dodge a few of them, one hit the mark in his arm and it fell to his side, useless.

"Fuck…" He hissed, grabbing a gun from out of his pockets, firing off a few rounds at Jo. He aimed towards her feet and, angrily, she chucked the crutch out from under her as she trusted her body to have healed fast enough to support the weight. She hobbled slightly faster than before and moved in towards the boy as she shot back.

Knives came flying at her as she realized the boy was firing the gun from his mouth somehow, placing it in there so as to free his hand to throw knives. She threw her weight against him, knocking his head to the side with a punch that came from the cast-covered arm. He shook his head, woozy, as Jo struggled against his knife with her gun, both almost seemingly matched in strength. They fought back and forth, Jo struggling to gain the upper hand as the boy seemed to gain more strength.

"What the hell…" she said quietly as she struggled to raise her casted arm.

"Don't even think about it!" He hissed as he pushed her backward, nearly knocking her over as her leg tripped her. Feeling herself go off balance, she broke away and rolled, hoping to throw off her opponent as she rolled to the ground, firing up at the young man. He scowled as he felt himself falling and turned towards her angrily, throwing several small knives that nicked the edges of her arm and leg as she moved about the ground.

The crowd grew louder at the bloodshed and they clamored towards the platform as Jo fired several shots off in frustration and they ricocheted off the ground and into the audience. The boy smirked as he fired in return and Jo cursed as she came to the realization that with the casts she was outmatched in speed by the youngster, and she barely got an arm up in time as he charged her again, knocking her to the ground. She skidded along the cement and felt her skin rip. Cuts covered her body as the boy drove his knives into her.

"Not so tough now, huh, you little bitch?" He asked menacingly as he realized his advantage. "Guess I better thank who ever the hell beat you up before I got to lay my hands on you." He leered dangerously close to Jo's face as he drew a long scar across her cheek. She bit her tongue as she felt the cut of the knife and the sticky wet liquid of her blood meld with the rain as it poured around them.

"Fuck…" she muttered, straining against him. She could feel every nerve in her body forcing against the young man. She felt her face flush as the blood poured faster. Just a little further, she thought, a little bit more and she would kick into her overdrive. She willed her tattoos to form, to spring to appearance in the form of saving wings and she continued struggling as she felt her heart rate climb. It was adrenaline, it was the rain, it was the girl she had met earlier and she felt it building until Meg's face came into mind and suddenly, she felt free as strength rushed through her, pulsating along her arms and back. She could see the surprise in the young man's eyes as her arms glowed with the purple strength, and she rose, throwing him off her.

Even she was surprised though, when she felt the cast on her arm splinter and shatter into thousands of tiny pieces. She flexed her arm, grinning to herself as she felt her muscles twitch underneath her. Alarmingly quickly (she knew to make good use of the time she had), she drew her other gun, pointing both at the boy as he now stood, wary, in the further corner of the field.

"Not so tough now, are you?" she threatened lowly. "Playtime's over." She shot at him angrily, gritting her teeth as she still found his strength overbearing. He seemingly flicked away the bullets with his knives and charged her again. Jo still stumbled on her casted foot, and spun, lifting it angrily to kick the boy in the kidneys as he came around her. She felt immense pain for a second before seeing the man on the ground, as her foot had met her mark, and ignored it as she knelt down next to him, picking up the weapon he had dropped. She sliced him quickly down his cheek and couldn't help but grin slightly as he cried in pain.

Jo felt, finally, like she had some control over life for once. Here, this man's life was in her hands- she decided everything, whether he lived and whether he died. It felt different than before, it felt better, it felt normal, she thought, having control. Hadn't she always had control though, over her life? She lived by her owns standards, and did things for herself. She had control.

Red flashed before her and she stared up, startled, into the blue eyes of the one girl, she realized with a single look, had always been the one in control and controlled her. Meg stared at her, proud, defiant, and yet Jo could see the disgust in her eyes as she watched the blood pool around her on the arena and then looked back at Jo. It was getting increasingly more difficult to see in the pouring rain. Meg shifted one of her arms to grab her other one, and Jo realized she had could see her tattoos still glowing from that far away and knew that they would soon begin to fade as she felt her foot start to throb as the adrenaline faded.

Meg, did not want this man to die. She was sick and tired of the death and destruction brought to the world and Jo's hands and with a saddened thought, Jo realized that Meg could not love her, no matter what she had said, because this was what Jo did, and nothing could change that.

She pushed herself up, disgusted, and spat on the ground next to the man. The crowd swelled with anger, and Jo watched them out of the corner of her eye as she kept them focused on Meg, standing in the downpour staring straight at her, like her face and her body would be something she could forget, or would somehow never see again.

"What the hell?" Someone yelled. "Kill the bastard!" Murmurs of agreement ran throughout the audience, but Jo continued to stand stock still. Meg motioned towards her, and Jo saw Sei reach out and grab her arm gently, keeping her in place.

"What's wrong?" she mouthed. Jo just continued to stare, as if in a daze. The man rolled over groaning, and Jo finally spoke, her voice seemingly dead.

"Get up." When he made no motion to move, she gritted her teeth and spoke louder. "I said get up!" The man struggled to his feet, gasping. Whatever energy he had was gone now, and he kept in distance as she saw the faint purple hue still envelop the girl.

"What…what are you?" He asked fearfully.

"An angel from hell," she told him. "Now leave. Get out of here and don't you ever think about coming back." He watched her, then nodded.

Kaneshi hurried over to see what had happened, Takeru behind him with a medical bag.

"This is amazing!" He said, shocked to see Jo's arm perfectly fine. "You're a medical miracle; it's like you never got hurt." He waited with a half-grin on his face that disappeared as he realized the girl was not going to talk. Turning his attention to the other man, he helped him off the stage and through the crowd, who, grumbling and complaining, had made their way slowly out the alleyways as they collected bets and fistfights broke out.

"You ok?" Kaneshi asked. "You got one more fight and then we get to the championship, awright? Hang in there a little bit longer, you could win this thing if you want." He grunted, shifting uncomfortably as he saw the rest of the trailer make their way over. "Tomorrow we're doing something new. Mecha time, so you betta bring one or getch yaself one, or you're gonna be in some serious trouble." He tossed a packet at her, which fell at her feet, and sighing, turned to leave. "Be at that address tomorrow at sundown. Don't be late."

He gave a curt nod to Sei as he walked past her and she regarded him carefully, before turning back to Jo. "Amy!" she yelled to the girl as she darted out from under her, "Stay under the umbrella!" It didn't do any good though, as the younger girl scampered in Jo's direction.

"Jo that was so cool!" She squealed, excited. "I was worried for a second, cause you seemed a little out of our comfort zone there, but man, all of a sudden you kicked it into overdrive! I got the whole thing on film, I'm gonna go put it up online right when we get home." She looked at Sei, smiling. "No one's gonna mess with us after they see how awesome Jo is." She grinned impishly at Jo, though her smile fell as she realized the girl was looking down at the ground, lost in thought somewhere.

"Jo?" Sei asked quietly, putting a hand on the girls arm, though she didn't elicit a response. With a small gesture of remembrance, she put the umbrella over the girl's head and Jo perked slightly as she felt the rain stop falling on her. She turned to Sei, quietly. "I know you don't like standing in the rain, Jo, you never really go out when it's pouring like this."

"It's because of when I first found you." A voice rang through and Jo looked past Sei back into the blue eyes of Meg, startled by the color in which they pierced the graying world around them. "Right? Because of the river that we dragged you out of. That's why you don't like swimming- though you did jump in the pool to save me that one time. And into the ocean the other time." She gave Jo a small smile. "Maybe I'm wrong."

"No," Jo spoke lowly. "You're right." Meg stepped closer to her, and Jo looked towards the ground only to look back up at Meg. "But I did all that stuff for you." She spoke simply, and Meg smiled graciously.

"I know you did."

"I'm a monster." Jo said quietly, her heart fluttering from the look on Meg's face, the gentleness she could never achieve. "You didn't want me to kill him."

"I don't want you to kill anybody. And you didn't kill him."

"I didn't." Jo said, her eyes avoiding Meg's.

"You could be the worst person on the face of the Earth, Jo, and I still wouldn't care." Meg spoke quietly, determined to get through to the other girl. "You and I, and everything…we are what we are. You live for this- for this fighting, this glory and honor and battling and that's ok. It's ok, to me. It's alright Jo. I won't…wouldn't, ever ask you to change yourself. I said it before and maybe I'm pushing you away but god…I love you Jo. I love you and that's all there is to it. And I know…I have to know, I have to believe….that you love me too."

Jo stared into Meg's eyes, shocked, and then, without knowing what came next, pressed her lips against Meg's in a sudden sweet kiss, as silver and grey became infused with color and the rain simply continued to fall. She felt Meg's warmth, felt her softness, felt everything and yet she felt as if anything she had ever lived through or done before counted as nothing at all. Meg slowly wrapped her arms around the other girl's neck as she pressed herself to Jo, and the girl simply held her close. Jo had never wanted to let Meg go. And she never would.

"She's going to get more sick…" Amy said to Sei, as they watched from the corner of the ring. "Standing out here in the rain like that."

"Don't think you can avoid the truth Amy." Sei said, smiling gently as she watched the two girls she had come to love as sisters finally accept the love they had for each other. "You'll still be paying up when we get back to the trailer." Amy pouted, but giggled, and went with Sei at a small push, understanding that the two of them weren't really necessary anymore.

The kiss had stopped and Meg had gone from Jo's lips to her neck as she buried her face in the warm crook between her shoulder and ear, and she pressed herself into Jo so much that she felt as if they got any closer they would become one person.

"I don't know…what this is. I don't know much about any of it. But I know that this is right." Jo whispered in her ear. "I don't ever want to lose you, or have you go far away from me. I want you to stay with me." Jo finished, not letting go of Meg.

"I promise you I'll never go." Meg spoke into Jo's neck, and they stood in the rain.

* * *

Satsuma looked on from the window and couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Good job on getting us the Intel." The low voice spoke behind her, and she turned angrily.

"You're going to destroy this?" She asked bitterly.

"Of course not." She could hear laughter in the voice. "You are."

**It ends with a cliffy, I know, but be happy fans. We're on the downhill slope, and next chapter brings some confrontations. Will Sei finally see the love of her life again? Will Jo and Meg establish a relationship? Will Amy become number one on the internet? Haha, find out next time friends  
Thanks again for all of your support and encouragement. You guys are the best. --speechless out**


End file.
